Despotic, Quixotic and Everlasting
by BlueGreenApples
Summary: SasuSaku. Drabble collection of various !verses.
1. Sacrifices

Sacrifices

**038.**_It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine_

Tsunade wouldn't look at her.

"Just go." The older woman's voice was thin with emotion as she uttered the words.

Lead dropped into Sakura's stomach at her mentor's shame and dissapointment in her. Stepping carefully up to where the blonde had dropped her head onto her folded arms, the pinkette pleaded. "Tsunade-shishou, what would you do? If it...if it were Dan out there--"

Brown eyes snapped up as a fist slammed into the surface of the desk, shattering it instantly. The Sannin stood and roared, her voice shaking with fury. "Don't you _dare. _You foolish little _child. _Dan would **NEVER** have _BETRAYED HIS VILLAGE_!"

Tears streamed from Sakura's eyes as she tried to reason with her teacher, "Please, I--I love him."

Peace reigned once more over the older woman's face as she spoke again. "I believe you. As utterly _stupid _as I think your devotion to the Uchiha is...I believe you. It is the only reason I'm letting you walk out of this office a missing-nin. My own apprentice..." Tsunade turned away, unable to look at the sobbing girl.

Silence fell over the Hokage's office again. At last, "The ANBU will persue you within twenty-four hours. It's the best head start I can give you." Facing her protege, she spoke softly, "Now go, Sakura. Before I change my mind."

Watery green eyes memorized the features of her idol, her second sensei. From the shame set into the deep lines between her brows to the pity deepening her eyes. This would be the last time she saw Tsunade as an ally. Next time they would be facing eachother from opposite sides of a battlefield.

Squaring her shoulders, Sakura Haruno walked out of Hokage Tower, out of Konoha. Forever.

She was going to Sasuke. She was following her heart. She was sacrificing everything she knew for the man she loved.

* * *

**This is an update, adding the lyrics that inspired each drabble. They are a part of the 50LyricsChallenge I'm completing on LJ. For more drabbles and writing memes, you can check out my LJ page! It's under my homepage link on my bio.**

**  
Thanks for reading and please review!**


	2. Wild Horses

Wild Horses

**041.**_this is heaven to no one else but me / and I'll defend it as long as I can be_

Metal and water fell from the sky in equal parts as the Leaf ANBU launched an all-out offensive against the hunkered down line of Cloud-nin.

Rain pelted from the heavens as a female ANBU in a ghostly panda mask dove from an ancient bough, seal scrolls swirling around her lithe body as blades poured endlessly from her falling form. At the same instant, a cry of "Byakugan!" was heard as her partner in a falcon mask began a barrage of hits to the tenketsu of the first enemy nin he reached.

A sinister red glow lit the silhouette of a tall man behind a fox mask, his dagger moving with impossible speed as he charged toward the Cloud line, dozens of kage buushin imitating his movements. The most fearsome combatant by far, however, was concealed by a wolf mask. Spinning crimson irises were all that were visible past the porcelain facade and they burned with hellfire as his katana slashed and struck until the blade seemed to be made of mercury. Its constant motion was majestic and hypnotic and deadly.

Within the hour, the Cloud-nin began to retreat. The man behind the canine mask snarled in a manner similar to the beast he symbolized. In a flash of white, black and silver the man simply disappeared. He reappeared in the enemy captain's path before flickering once more with a growl of, "Muon Satsujin Jutsu."

The Silent Homicide Technique was instantaneous. Grasping his silt throat, the fleeing man fell to his knees. The remaining Cloud-nin scattered to the winds, leaving their wounded as well as their dying captain.

The man in falcon mask grunted in disgust. "Disgraceful." In a rare act of mercy, the man painlessly ended the captain. His partner bound the wounded for prisoners before turning to await orders from their team leader.

Wolf mask flicked his blade in a single smooth movement, ridding the pristine surface of any blood. Sheathing the katana, he spoke. "Tenten, Hyuuga: supervise the captives and assure their arrival in Konoha. Uzumaki: report to the Godime." As he spoke to the man with the fox mask, he handed him a thin, encrypted scroll.

Neji scoffed. "And just what will you do, Captain Uchiha?"

Onyx eyes flared red once more. In a blur of motion, Sasuke towered suddenly over the disrespectful subordinate. "You would do well to concern yourself with your duties and those of your partner alone." A slow smirk shadowed his lips and he murmured, "She could use a little practice. That offensive was mediocre."

The veins surrounding the Hyuuga's eyes bulged as he drew in a slow breath. "Yes, sir."

Stepping back from the furious man, Sasuke said, "Very good."

Before his team could raise further questions, the Captain disappeared in the direction of Hidden Leaf.

* * *

"Try to stay calm, Mrs. Uchiha. You're almost there."

A piqued, but obviously gleeful blonde Sannin quipped, "And try not to squeeze so hard, love. I'm beginning to regret passing on my monstrous strength." Grimacing, Tsunade looked at the hand that her apprentice was grasping, noting the white and red bands. Sakura's labor pains were coming quicker and quicker and her stress levels were through the roof.

A somber expression overtook her sarcastic one as the older woman smoothed her student's sweaty pink locks. "You need to calm down, Sakura. It could hurt the baby."

Red-faced and near tears, the kunoichi nodded desperately and gasped, "I'm trying shishou! It's just...Sas--"

Humming sympathetically, Tsunade towled the girl's forehead. "I know. But you have to try. I'm sorry again, but his team was the only one who could handle the assignment."

A strained laugh fell from the pregnant woman's lips. "Ninja first. I understand, Tsunade-sensei. Really." Smiling forcibly, she was sharing a laugh with her mentor when the most painful contraction yet rocked through her small body.

A scream wrenched itself from her as she tried to rearrange herself to somehow ease her pain. Standing from her seat at the bedside, Tsunade laid a chakra-gloved hand over the protruding belly of her protege. The Godaime smiled proudly as she announced, "You're ready, Sakura. You need to start pushing."

Fear filled the petite woman's face. "But, shishou! I--"

Before she could finish her protest, a commotion broke out in the hall. Shrill voices of medical assistants were heard, interspersed with a deep, impatient baritone. A moment later, the door flew open to reveal Sasuke, still clad in his ANBU uniform. Three or four med-nin and trainees trailed in after him, trying without success to impede the elite-nin.

His angry black eyes softened as they landed on his wife. "Sakura."

The tension ebbed away from the laboring woman as she smiled at her husband.

Tsunade sprung into action. Waving the tall ANBU into the ward, she barked at the orderlies: "Out! Now, or you're all fired!"

Chaos ensued as five bodies tried to flee through the doorway at the same time. Once they'd all made it out and closed the heavy door in their wake, the Sannin looked back to her patient.

"You have to push now, Sakura."

Setting her features as a contraction broke over her, she replied, "I'm ready."

* * *

Four hours later, sweaty and tired, Sakura whispered, "I didn't think you'd make it, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke just 'hn'd as he stared down at the sleeping face of his newborn son. A shock of silky, black hair laid atop his tiny little head and he clutched ten perfect fingers around his father's proffered finger.

A ghost of a smile flitted over Sasuke's lips as the newborn yawned widely and flexed his hand around his father's finger before settling back down to sleep soundly. Shifting the precious bundle in his suddenly overly-strong arms, the elite-nin walked slowly to his wife's bedside. He sat on the mattress by Sakura's hip and carefully transferred the slumbering babe to her waiting arms.

He watched with rapt attention and admiration as the exhausted pinkette cooed and rocked the tiny child. Working one hand into her sweaty hair at the nape, he stooped down to press a slow kiss onto her brow.

Sakura blinked and smiled groggily. Her husband was usually very stingy with what he considered public affection. His actions now spoke volumes. He was a man of few words, but she had learned to understand his subtleties and appreciate them for what they truly represented.

The glow that emanated from his face as he observed she and their newborn son told her precicely what he was thinking now.

Absolutely nothing could drag him away from his new, fragile little family. Nothing.

* * *

**This is a little happy fluff to make up for the angstiness of the first drabble :3 If you want, you can consider this a continuation of **_Repentance_

**Edited to add lyrics on 3-4-08**


	3. Gauntlet

Gauntlet

**016.**_welcome to the jungle, we take it day by day / if you want it you're gonna bleed, but it's the price you pay_

When Sakura took the heaven-send of a job that elevated her from a run-down little clinic to a state-of-the-art medical center she should have expected a catch. Honestly. But she was still fresh from medical school, with too many bills and too little time. The deal Dr. Tsunade had offered her seemed too good to be true. It was a five figure monthly check, no questions asked. Eager and ever too trusting, Sakura had jumped at the opportunity. How could she not? She had graduated at the top of her class...maybe this was just luck finally tossing a bone her way.

The steep income payed off the bulk of her bills in no time and had her settled comfortably in an adorable little apartment in Midtown. Not too posh, but not the virtual cesspool she had put up with before. Life was peachy. The kind Dr. Tsunade had even taken the younger girl under her wing, teaching her the ropes at the medical center she owned and operated: Konoha General Hospital.

It wasn't until Sakura started noticing the frequency of dark, tailored suits passing through the halls only to disappear into Ward 7 that she began to get curious. Tsunade-sensei had given her a personal tour of every ward, room and floor...except for Ward 7. Dismissing her wild imagination's whispers of conspiracies and government involvement, Sakura devoutly ignored the occurrences for six more months.

A chance encounter changed that. The tired pinkette was cursing her decision to wear 'sensible heels' as she traipsed toward her mentor's office on the top floor late one Saturday night'Sensible my ass,' she growled to herself, slipping one off as she waited in the elevator. Rubbing her sore arch as she leaned wearily on the mirrored wall beside her, she almost dropped the file caught in her other hand at what she saw when the doors slid back.

Her normally cool and collected teacher was standing behind her desk, bellowing for all she was worth into the face of a well built, white haired man...in a dark, tailored suit. The man had his arms crossed casually, not at all intimidated by the buxom woman's reddening face or increasing volume. Wide, green eyes stared at the quarreling couple until her shoe made a slight click as she let it drop back to the ground, sliding her foot back in. The slight thud may as well have been an explosion.

Two pairs of eyes whirled to face her. Before she could mutter an apology and hit the down button, the white haired man had grabbed her by the hand, pulling her into the tense office. His deep voice held a distinct amusement as he patted her captured hands and exclaimed, "You must be the Sakura-chan my loving wife speaks so highly of!" Stooping down from his considerable hight to peer into her shocked face, he added, "But she never mentioned just how pretty you are! Your name suits you perf--"

"Cut that shit, Jiraiya! She's my protege, and you're going to leave her the hell alone!" Sakura just stood speechless as her mentor verbally filleted the man still grasping her hands. Her mind whirred as she processed the information being shouted back and forth. "Now stop acting like a child and start behaving more like the Kage you are!" Tsunade-shishou was married? What the hell was a Kage? Why should this man, Jiraiya, be acting like one?

Finally cooling off enough to realize just what she was revealing, the blonde matriarch blanched. She scrambled about on her desk for a recent file, hoping to find something to distract the stunned girl from asking questions. As if by divine intervention, Shizune's (Tsunade's secretary) voice crackled from the intercom. "Dr. Tsunade? I-I know you don't want to be disturbed but--"

Before the flustered woman could even finish, the prestigious medic grabbed up the phone and asked impatiently, "What is it?" Muttering a few uh-huh's and hmm's, the flustered woman scribbled a few things down onto an errant scrap of paper. With a final, "I'll send someone down immediately." Tsunade hung up and glared at her husband for a moment before acting. Hoisting the paper and gesturing for Sakura to take it, the blonde commented, "It's a simple gunshot wound to the abdomen. No apparent organ damage, it looks like a lucky through and through. Nothing you can't handle."

As she grasped the paper from her tutor's manicured grip, a loud beep sounded and caused the already on-edge pinkette to jump sky high. Cursing, Jiraiya glanced down to his waist and pulled back his jacket to reveal a beeper. As he toyed with the device for a moment, he inadvertently swept the coat back a little further. Sakura froze. He was carrying a gun.

She didn't have a chance to communicate the startling discovery to her sensei as the man grasped her elbow and smiled winningly as he pulled her back toward the elevator. "Well, I have to run, dear! We'll continue our discussion later." Turning to Sakura he chuckled, "You won't mind sharing a ride down with me will you, little blossom?"

The '_Hell no!_' she wanted to shout caught in her throat as the man easily dragged her into the elevator and pressed the down button. As the soft ping of the descending floors filled the space, he asked cordially, "Which floor do you need? I'm headed to the main floor, but it sounds like my Tsunade-chan gave you an assignment."

Staring into his mirth crinkled eyes for a pregnant moment, Sakura finally glanced down to the paper clutched in her hand. As she smoothed it, she read dazedly, "Floor five...please."

"No problem at all!" The large man laughed, punching in the button. Assessing his jovial form with her still-worried eyes, Sakura wondered why a man like Jiraiya would be armed.

A chime was heard before she could delve too deeply into it. Stepping out thankfully, Sakura distractedly muttered a goodbye as she glanced back down to the note in her hand. She didn't hear the doors slide closed again as she finally digested what was scrawled on the paper. _Gunshot, intensive care, bed ten, Ward 7._

Pink brows drew down dramatically. Now she was _really_ confused. Why would her teacher purposely avoid letting her go to that ward, only to give her a patient in it? Was it a mistake? Raised voices through the swinging doors down the hall caught her attention. Several nurses were milling around the doors on the other side, having what looked like a shouting match with two men in matching black suits.

Crumpling the note and shoving it into her lab coat's deep pocket, Sakura strode forward. She was going to complete her assignment and satisfy her curiosity in one fell swoop. Dropping her completed chart from earlier onto a nurse's station as she paced by, she added over her shoulder, "Have someone run that up to Tsunade-san, please."

Pushing her way through the doors labeled 'Ward 7,' Sakura asked evenly, "What seems to be the problem, gentlemen?"

A grey haired man turned to face her but said nothing as his blond partner continued to argue with the group of nurses. "I want in there! I have a right to see my friend!"

Her authoritarian voice kicked in as she addressed the angry man, "Sir?" When she had his attention, she continued, "I'm Dr. Haruno and I've been asked to help your friend." As he made to interrupt, she held up a hand. "These ladies are just doing their jobs. You can't be allowed into the room until I've gotten the chance to assess the situation." Glancing down to his bloodstained white button-up, she consoled, "While I'm doing that, I can have someone take you to wash up." With a genuine smile, she concluded, "I'm going to help your friend as best as I can, you just have to let me. Okay?"

The wiry man visibly deflated. Scowling, he asked, "Why couldn't one of you just said that?"

His grey-haired companion chuckled and Sakura broke in before things could escalate again, "Keiko? Could you take Mr...?"

Rubbing a hand through his spiky hair, the blond supplied, "Uzumaki."

The young doctor smiled again as she finished, "Please take Mr. Uzumaki here to the showers in Ward 4? Thank you."

Before she could be distracted any further, Sakura nodded to the more taciturn of the two men and breezed into the room labeled '10.' She didn't expect a gun to be pointed in her face the moment it swung shut behind her. Gasping, the pinkette stumbled back.

Stalking her retreat, the dark haired man before her rasped, "Who the hell are you?" He winced as he finished, keeping his aim steady but grasping his left side.

At the sight of blood, the young medic's senses filtered back. In her most pacifying voice, she explained, "I'm Dr. Haruno and I've been asked to see to--"

Pitching forward alarmingly, he growled, "By who? Who assigned you?"

As she agitatedly noted how much blood her patient was loosing, Sakura bit out, "Tsunade-sensei. I'm her pupil and--"

The gun was abruptly dropped and he left himself collapse back onto the nearby bed. "Whatever. I don't want your life story, just stitch me up."

Gaping at his demeanor and gall, Sakura was about to speak her mind when she looked into her patient's face, finding it ashen. She cursed a little under her breath. As she jumped into action, gathering an IV drip and grabbing the supply tray that held injection supplies, she asked, "How long has it been since you sustained injury?"

The dark haired man drew in a deep breath and responded, "Two hours. Maybe more."

Sakura nearly dropped the butterfly needle she was prepping. "Two hours?! You have a gunshot wound! Are you--"

"I was in a situation that didn't allow me to seek immediate medical attention." Though his voice was flat, the pinkette got the distinct impression she was being mocked.

Frowning heavily, she grasped his right arm and pricked his inner elbow more forcefully than was strictly necessary. She added snidely, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were such a busy man. Mr..?"

Not flinching at the bite of the needle, the man grumbled, "Don't worry about my name. Just get this over with."

Sakura growled a little under her breath and began, "I'm going to have to clean the area and then apply sutures. To do that, I'm going to give you a general anesthetic so if--"

"No. No drugs. Fluids are fine." His dark eyes didn't leave the ceiling as he interrupted the young medic.

Sakura stared at the man who looked only a little older than herself. "Sir, I'm afraid you don't have the authority to--"

The ominous click of a gun being cocked echoed through the room. Though he didn't aim the weapon at her, the fact that he had it drawn was enough. Rather than being intimidated, Sakura puffed up, "Stop waving that thing around, for goodness sake! If you were going to shoot me, you would have done it by now." When he made to move his arm and take aim, she added, "And don't hesitate to think Tsunade-sensei wouldn't let you bleed to death if you did! Now just stop and _listen to me_!"

Black eyes locked on to her reluctantly fearful green ones. For a moment he looked furious, then he holstered his gun and 'hn'd. Turning his gaze away from her, he laid back and replied, "Do what you want."

A victorious grin flashed over Sakura's face as she released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. For a few moments, both parties were silent as the young doctor carefully stitched her patient's abdomen while he laid prone. As she pressed a sterile patch over the sutures on his back, Sakura almost started at the sound of the man's voice. "What's your name?"

Blinking, she repeated, "Dr. Haruno, I said--"

As he sat up, the man shot her a flat look. "First name," he enunciated, as if speaking to a child.

Another grin lit Sakura's face as she stood, discarding her gloves and gathering her chart. "Don't worry about my name." The man didn't get the chance to say anything more as she slid through the door, allowing the enthusiastic blond from before to barge in.

* * *

Tsunade was waiting when a call rang into her office an hour or so after her husband had taken his leave. The phone didn't get the chance to completely sound as she ripped it from its cradle. "What happened?"

A chuckle filtered through the ear piece as Jiraiya's smug voice came, "I told you she'd be perfect. But really, Sasuke? Did you want her to run away screaming?"

Grinning cattily, the blond hissed, "She's my favorite student! I didn't want her to get involved in The Business. I _told_ you that! She was going to take my place here at the Center when I retire--"

"And she still can! Think how much experience she'll gain working for me, it'll be fine." A darker hue strained the man's once lilting voice, "After the Kabuto situation, it was critical that we find a new go-to medic. You know that."

Tsunade sighed and propped her head on her hand. "I know. I _know_. I'm just worried for her. So many things could go wrong."

In a conciliatory tone, Jiraiya soothed, "I know, Nade. But I'll make sure she's well taken care of, I promise," pausing at a voice on the background at his end, he added, "But I've gotta go now. I'll see you at home."

Humming in agreement, the medic hung up the phone. As she settled back into her plushly cushioned chair, she spun to face the view through her floor to ceiling window. Watching the blinking lights of the city below, she couldn't help but hope that her husband was right. And that Sakura was ready for what was coming her way.

* * *

**Third drabble in the 50LyricsChallenge series. This will be continued in future chapters, so keep an eye out! The NejiTen end of this verse will also be explored in** _Elysian Fields_**. :3**

**As always, thanks for reading and please review!**


	4. Poker Face

**Poker Face**

**009. **_you got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em / know when to walk away and know when to run_

"Read 'em and weep, ladies." Sakura's face was nearly split by her wide grin. The rough men situated around the table leered at her winning hand. A particularly dirty, burly man snarled and rammed his knife into the tabletop. Leaning forward, he said, "That's the third deal in a row. Fifth of the night. Are you cheetin' me, little girl?"

Purposely widening her bottle green eyes and pointing to herself, the girl drawled, "Me? Cheat? Of course not, I guess I'm just lucky!" Laughing and gathering her money, the young Jounin stood. As the considerably sizeable wad of bills made its way into her jacket pocket, she mentally patted herself on the back. She may have picked up her gambling fetish from her Sannin sensei, but at least she was smart about it.

The thought brought another smile to her face as she pushed her chair in and prepared to make her exit. "Well, it's been a good night guys but--" Sakura didn't get a chance to finish her cheeky farewell as a card that had been concealed in her sleeve slowly fluttered to the table.

Chaos erupted.

"I knew you was cheetin'!"

"Gimme back my money!"

"Get 'er!"

As the blood rushed from her face, the young kunoichi decided to imitate her first sensei and waved nervously before disappearing in a poof of cherry-scented smoke. The girly smell was an extra seal added to the jutsu for the sake of her femininity. But it was the pink glitter that she _really_ thought they'd appreciate. The mental picture in her mind was enough to make her promise herself to hug Naruto when she got back to the Village. After all, he was the one to introduce her to gag jutsus.

Swaggering a little as she heard coughs and cries of, "Ninja!?" and "That little runt was a kunoichi?" from below, Sakura hopped from the club's roof. Soon she was strolling down the dirt road beyond the little town, hands tucked into her pockets.

Her B-Rank solo mission in Wind Country had been fairly simple if not a little lengthy. Healing the ailing Village elder had been pretty quick, but overseeing the progress of Suna's still fledgling medical program had taken longer. Humming a little to herself, the natural pinkette let her head drop back and squinted up at the shadowy canopy overhead. If her guess was correct, she was a couple of days' walk from Konoha. Not that it mattered. Tsunade had been rather blatant about her encouragement for Sakura to 'take her time in coming home.'

The Slug Sannin felt that her apprentice was spending too much time working and needed to 'unwind' a little. Thinking back tot he scene she'd just made in the civilian village, she figured she was making her teacher proud. Hell, she'd even henge'd her hair blonde on a whim. She figured it would make it easier to slip away from pursuers if she could quickly change something as apparent as her hair color. For a moment she considered dropping the illusion, then decided against it. Glancing down the road she'd come by, she didn't see any angry gamblers. And how often did she get to be blonde? With a shrug, she slipped a small bottle of sake from under her Jounin vest. She snorted and wondered when they'd miss it.

Her chugging was interrupted by a loud voice from up ahead. "Aren't you a little young for that?"

Swiping at her mouth with her sleeve and frowning, Sakura turned to see who was speaking. _'Well doesn't that figure?_' Sasuke's pet Mist-nin was staring back at her. The short girl cocked an eyebrow and asked, "And if I am?"

The lean shinobi flicked his pale hair out of his eyes (in what she was sure he considered an alluring manner) as he strolled up to stand at her side. Her senses were dulled enough that she didn't immediately shrug off his arm. The nukenin was encouraged. Dipping down to inspect her face, he grinned, "Then I won't tell," his sharp teeth gleamed as he dropped his voice an octave, "I think it's _sexy_."

Sakura wanted to laugh in his face. She really did. In fact, she was _about to_ when a not-so-distant cry reached her ears. "She went this way!"

Hastily changing her plans, the kunoichi batted her lashes and purred, "Oh? You do?" As she wrapped an arm around his waist and not-so-subtly started walking away from the yell. '_Now I just have to keep him interested enough to loose the guys from the bar._' A quick tug freed her long henge-blonde hair and she slipped her jacket off to expose a fitted black turtleneck beneath. As she tucked her vest into her pack, she turned back to the boy walking beside her. '_What was his name again?' _

Following his intense gaze straight to her chest, she rolled her eyes skyward once more. _'It's just until I give those goons the slip_.' If I run now, this guy will chase me and I may have to deal with _Him_. Glancing to the shinobi, she considered that she may be able to out distance him with a few good chakra-enhanced jumps. She debated with herself for a moment until she heard running feet coming up the path. It was too late now, she had to stay or risk having _two _hunting parties on her tail.

Banking on the shadows hiding her face, she flicked her hands into a quick series of signs and blinked furiously. _'Dammit. I can NEVER get eyes right_.' From the slightly dry feeling in her right eye, she knew that at least half of the illusion had taken hold. If the whole thing had worked, she would have been sporting blue eyes to rival Naruto's. How she stood now, however, she guessed that she probably still had one emerald colored iris. '_That's it! I'm not gambling or drinking anymore after tonight! All it does is lead to trouble!_'

She smiled sweetly, "_So_, where ya headed?" When moonlight flooded the road as they rounded a bend, Sakura was grateful she'd managed to change at least part of her eye color before hand. He had begun to answer when a strange look overcame his angular features, "Well, I was...Wait. Do I know you? You look really--"

"NO!," she coughed and amended, "I, uh, get that a lot actually..." Sakura forced a giggle and concluded, "I just have one of those faces, I guess."

Paling a little at his doubtful look, the Jounin pressed her small bottle of sake into his free hand. "Here! Drink up! I can't finish it alone." His suspicion faded as she dropped her head onto his shoulder flirtatiously. As he took a swig, the sound of the mob quickly caught up to their idle position. Thinking quickly, Sakura pinned the Mist-nin against the nearest tree and wrapped her arms around his neck.

His fog-grey eyes widened at their sudden proximity, but Sakura dove in and began pressing dry kisses against his cheeks and jaw. But never his lips. They were enough to silence the nukenin, though, until the group had glanced their way and just as quickly dismissed the couple. Once their rapid footfalls had once again tapered off, Sakura jerked back abruptly. Stooping to grab her fallen pack, she gushed, "Well, it's been fun but I've really gotta run!"

Pumping green energy into her thigh muscles, she had almost made it when a hand gripped her wrist. "Wait!" His tug pulled her off-kilter and resulted in a small crater where the excess chakra had poured from her feet. "You have to come with me, I--"

Mismatched eyes narrowed, "Look, I was just trying to avoid some trouble. Sorry if you got attached or something. Now--"

Sharp teeth flashed in the moonlight, "Those guys? You know, I think there's still in earshot. Say, I bet they'll turn around if I--"

Sakura growled. "Don't!" At his triumphant look, she asked, "What do you want?"

His grin widened as he pulled the kunoichi off the path, onto a deer path she hadn't noticed a few paces ahead. "I made a bet with my teammate, and..."

The naturally pink-haired girl's brain froze at the word 'teammate.' He was taking her to his _freaking_ campsite! Suddenly a rowdy mob of civilians didn't seem so bad. She bumped off of the pale-haired shinobi's back when he stopped walking, turning to look at her expectantly. Blinking, she stuttered, "W-what?"

Slowly, he asked again, "What's your name? Mine's Suigetsu, by the way."

"Oh, I'm Ino." Sakura wanted to punch herself. WHY had she given that name? If Sasuke was fooled (by some miracle) by her henge, the name would make him immediately suspicious again. '_Kami-sama, if you get me out of this one, I solemnly swear that I will never touch a deck of cards or bottle of sake ever again in my entire life. Even once I legally can._' With that nervous prayer still ringing in her head, she nearly missed his next question.

"What Hidden Village are you from? I don't see an emblem." Sakura wanted to roll her eyes. Of course he didn't. The first thing that her shishou had taught her was to take off her forehead protector if she was going to gamble. The whole thing reflected poorly on Konoha if not.

Tuning back into the conversation, she replied, "Sand." That one made a little more sense, as it was the only other Village she knew well enough to lie about. Plus she'd just been there, so she was in the right general area.

He just nodded and kept pulling her along. "I'm from Mist...originally." His devil-may-care grin was supposed to make her swoon, and she tried her best to look impressed.

Before she could begin struggling in earnest, they had reached a break in the trees. A put-out red head was sitting on a log by the campfire and a large man in an all-encompassing cloak was seated nearby. Glancing around nervously, Sakura thanked the heavens that she didn't catch sight of any brooding figures. She ripped her hand free of Suigetsu's grip and trilled, "Well, here I am. Your friend saw me, now I've really gotta--"

Rather than listen to her rant, the pale-haired shinobi just gripped her waist and hauled her against his side. He boasted loudly to the girl at the fire, "I held up my end of the bet, Karin! Did you get your kiss?"

The girl stood angrily, shoving her thick-rimmed glasses up her nose and was ready to begin a rant when a voice broke in from the shadows, "What are you doing, Suigetsu?"

Every muscle in Sakura's body tensed at the tone. Only one person in the world sounded that _empty _when they spoke. 'Oh _shit_.' The former Mist-nin just gripped her a little tighter and said, "Karin and I had I bet, Sasuke. And I won! This is Ino, she's from Sand and--"

"You led a strange kunoichi into our camp?"

The redhead laughed snidely at their leader's blatant disapproval. Suigetsu blanched and started, "I-I...she's just, I mean she won't--"

With a disgusted 'tsk,' the Uchiha moved with godly speed. One moment she was squished against the lean shinobi's side, the next she was slammed brutally against an unyielding tree trunk. Black eyes bored into her mismatched ones as he spoke, "Ino? I've only heard of one kunoichi named that and she was _not _from Suna." Invading her personal space, he snarled, "Drop the henge."

Gripping his hand, Sakura shook her head furiously. His only response was to tighten his hold. "Drop the illusion or I'll beat you out of it. It's your choice."

With a defiant look, the kunoichi paused for as long as she could before gasping, "Kai." As her fake blonde hair melted into strawberry pink and her sole blue eye flashed to match its partner, Sasuke smirked. Sakura gulped in air as he released her throat. The smug bastard had recognized her all along.

"Hello Sakura."

* * *

**I wanted to do a little more of a lighthearted piece with a more Tsunade-influenced!Sakura, but she wound up acting a little like Kakashi and Naruto, too. Oh well, I like this side of her. I'm considering continuing this storyline in a couple of more drabbles, but I haven't decided yet. Let me know what you think! Also, I've posted a Poll on my bio page to see what 'Odd Couple' you'd like to see me write. So, thanks for reading and please vote/review!**

**Note: Spelling errors at the beginning of this drabble were intentional, as to highlight 'character dialect.' Think Mark Twain :3**


	5. Fun and Games

**Fun and Games**

**042.**_the Sword of Damocles is hanging over my head / I've got the feeling someone's gonna be cutting the thread_

Sakura felt invincible as she sat in Ward 7's nursing station, filling out her report on the man whose gunshot wound she'd just bandaged. She had just completely gotten away with backtalking a man with a gun. Her rational side told her she should be ashamed or at least considering herself lucky, but she was just too pumped to care. It wasn't until a bit of the adrenaline-laced giddiness began to fade that she noticed something odd.

The name on the existing chart she'd pulled was 'Uchiha, Sasuke.' That was normal enough. What puzzled her was the cryptic additional notations to his previous record, 'J1 T-SV Level 3' was emblazoned in bold black ink below his name. There was no birthdate, origin or residence...not even a social security number. This file didn't even _allude_ to being legal. The pinkette was still staring at the strange string of letters and numbers when a half-bored voice interrupted her.

"Dr. Haruno?"

Green eyes shielded by thick frames focused onto a tall, dark haired man slouching on the counter in front of her. He too was wearing a black suit and sported a spiky ponytail and vaguely sleepy look. Tucking the piece of paper she'd scribbled the code onto into the pocket of her lab jacket, she asked politely, "I'm Sakura Haruno. How may I help you?"

A slightly more business-like manner overtook the man as he extended his hand toward her and smiled slightly. "I'm Agent Nara and I'd like to borrow a moment of your time."

Adjusting her dark-rimmed glasses and shaking the offered hand, the young doctor hesitantly replied, "Surely! Just let me get this chart taken care of and I'm all yours, Agent Nara." She smiled placidly and stood to deposit the file in a nearby 'resubmitted' box. Turning back to the dark man, she asked, "Agent Nara?" As he dipped his head in acknowledgement, she continued, "May I ask what organization you're employed by?" A little sheepishly, she amended, "I don't mean to be forward, but I just can't help but notice just how...odd this whole circumstance seems to be."

Another lazy grin crossed the lean man's face as he intoned, "No offense is taken. If you'll come with me, we'll be able to discuss the entire thing."

* * *

Naruto gaped at his best friend. His dark haired companion just glared as he drove, clutching the steering wheel with excessive force and accelerating. After a moment, the blonde surmised, "You're serious? She blew you off? Just like that? Oh my God!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes a little more and swerved abruptly, resulting in a loud bang as the laughing Naruto smacked his head against the window. Scowling and rubbing his pained skull, the younger agent persisted, "So you didn't even get her name?" He chuckled and crossed his arms, sitting back into his plush seat. "I did," dusting invisible lint from his shoulder, he concluded, "maybe you're just loosing your touch."

A low 'hn' was his only answer. As the black sports car sped down the deserted freeway in the semi-dark of early morning, Naruto wheedled, "Aren't you going to ask what it is?"

Slanting his partner a blank look, Sasuke replied, "No. I don't care."

The louder male just snorted. "Teme, if you didn't care, you never would have told me it happened."

Another bang was heard as the racy little car weaved sharply once more. "Dammit, Sasuke! That hurts!"

* * *

"Do I look like a gullible person?" Sakura's generally polite tone was non-existent. She was glaring at Agent Nara with annoyance as she asked, "Why would you pull me away from my work just to waste my time like this? I don't believe for a moment that MY Tsunade-shishou is involved in something as...as..._sordid _as the mafia!" Standing, she shoved her chair back under the table with more force than was strictly necessary. Green eyes flashing, she finished, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must go."

The dark haired man mumbled something like 'troublesome' as he called out after the piqued pinkette, "It makes sense, Dr. Haruno! Use your logic!" Watching as the slim young woman hobbled out to hail a taxi, Shikamaru muttered to himself, "If she's as smart as everyone seems to think she is, she'll figure it out."

As he dug a hand into the concealed pocket inside his jacket, he produced first a pack of cigarettes then a slim cell phone. Tapping the box on the heel of his hand, he drew one slim stick. A smooth movement later and his habit of choice was lit, hanging carelessly from his mouth as he dialed a number from memory.

Slowly exhaling a cloud of thin smoke, he gripped the cigarette between his thumb and pointer finger as he mumbled into the phone, "Nara. Yeah. No, you were right." As he paused, listening to the other end of the conversation, he tapped a little ash off into the tray on the table. A slightly surprised look flashed across his slack features and he concluded, "I think things should be fine with that arrangement. Yeah. Go ahead and make the call. Though, I don't think it'll be necessary until later. I'll be in later tonight to iron out specifics." He hung up without saying goodbye.

Flipping the phone closed one-handed, he slipped it back into his jacket and savored a last drag. Another plume of smoke floated slowly from his mouth as he tilted his head back and thought. A moment later, he snuffed out the butt and drew himself up from the bench seat. As he ambled out into the cooling night air towards his vehicle, the young genius glanced up to the sky and muttered 'troublesome.'

What was Jiraiya thinking, bringing a girl like _that_ into The Business?

* * *

_Six Months Later_

* * *

Sakura hated the sensation of blood drying on her scrubs. A disgusted grimace marred her brow as she looked down to see that rusty stains were slowly peeling from the front of her sea green attire. Wonderful.

Dropping her dry, cracking hands to her sides and rolling her head back and glaring at the ceiling, she muttered to herself for a minute. As she raised her head back to its regular level, she shuffled toward the elevators. Her shift was over and she needed a shower. Wrinkling her nose, she thought, '_Nothing worse than walking home feeling dirty_.'

As the mirrored doors slid shut before her, she frowned at her reflection. Her shoulder length hair was wavy and caught back into a stubby ponytail at the base of her neck. The bits and pieces that escaped her elastic were twisted and pinned with slim red barrettes. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her green eyes were a little dull. All and all, she looked like she'd just put in a twenty-four hour shift. Which was pretty good really, she thought as she looked at her watch, since it'd actually been closer to forty-eight.

Scrubbing her hands over her face, she wondered if she had the energy to make it home tonight. A ping sounded as she reached her floor: Ward 4 and its blessed showers. She could do this. The last thing she wanted was to sleep at the desk in her office...again. Blowing a breath large enough to ruffle her fringe of pink bangs, she hauled herself up from her resting place at the wall. Her contour-foam clogs made little sound as she paced through the empty staff floor toward the bathroom, her hands stuffed into the small, square pockets at the front of her scrub shirt.

A few minutes later, she was drowning her worries in the scalding fall of water. The rough weave of the hospital's stock wash cloths was good for buffing, and she soaped herself until her skin felt pink and clean again. As she watched slightly pink water swirl down the drain, she wondered when she'd get over her discomfort with blood.

The gunshot victim she'd worked on today had required massive surgery to repair a collapsed lung and punctured stomach. Squinting her eyes against the water pressure as she rinsed her hair, she pondered at the number of gunshot and stabbing victims she'd encountered recently. Ever since she'd begun working in Ward 7 six months ago, the number of her assignments that fell into the 'violent injury' category had skyrocketed. Rather than dwelling on it, she stepped out of the little tile cubicle and towelled herself dry.

A quick run of a smaller cloth thorough her hair and she was slipping into street clothes. A red, longsleeve shirt and some hipster jeans were easy to step into before she toed her cutesy clogs on as well. Finger-combing through her still damp locks, she stomped her foot a little when she realized she'd lost her elastic. A scan of the blue tiled floor as well as a sweep of her pockets yielded nothing. Releasing a frustrated breath through her nose, she waved her hands and gave up.

She went about gathering her dirty work clothes instead. Once they were all bundled up and shoved into her large, leather shoulder bag, she made her way home at last.

* * *

"No, Sasuke. I'm not_...shitting_ you."

Naruto cackled loudly at their grey-haired mentor's hesitance to repeat his teammates oath. Shouldering the older man, he jibed, "Hey, if he doesn't want the assignment, I'll take it!" Sliding a sly glance to the brooding, dark-haired male, he mock-whispered, "That doctor lady was a fox! I wouldn't mind--"

"I'm going." The quiet annoyance in the man's voice would have been invisible to any other pair of people. But to Kakashi and Agent Uzumaki, the tone was glaringly obvious. More laughter tumbled from the lanky blond's chest as he called after his friend.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't, Sasu-kun!" The easy-going male's howls only increased at the less-than-kind gesture his retreating partner flashed him over his shoulder. Once he'd calmed a little, Naruto turned to his teacher, asking seriously, "Do you really think Sakura-chan needs a tail? Are things that bad?"

Kakashi paused a moment before sliding back into their vehicle as the sound of Sasuke's borrowed motorcycle roared to life behind them. When the younger man joined him inside, he replied, "It's getting there. But I think it's her direct connection to Tsunade that puts her in this position. _He_ would love to score a direct hit on Jiraiya-sama through his wife." As he threw the car into gear, he concluded, "This is just his way of doing it."

Naruto nodded solemnly before asking, "Kakashi?"

When he had the older man's attention, he asked with utmost sincerity, "What don't I ever get to drive the bike?"

* * *

A sickly _slosh _sounded as Sakura hurried across a poorly lit intersection on the way toward her apartment. Her mouth gaped open for a moment at the feeling of street water spilling in on her toes. Gasping and letting a little squeak of feminine discontent, she cursed the little decorative holes that riddled the top of her slip-ons. These shoes were comfortably practical for work at the hospital but anything less than sunny weather made them miserable to wear outdoors. After a short moment of staring at her off-white little clogs and grimacing at the feel of her now damp socks, the young doctor trudged onward.

This part of her journey toward her place in Midtown was always her least favorite. The Center was located in the Business District of town and to get to her apartment she had to jaunt through the oldest part of the city. It usually wasn't a problem in the daytime, but once night fell she was always a little extra cautious. Tucking her arms a little more tightly around herself, she adjusted her bag on her shoulder and hurried her pace. She could see the bright light of the newer-looking streetlamp that she liked to think of as the threshold out of the shady neighborhood and into her own when a voice called out behind her.

"Hey little lady!"

Sakura didn't turn to see who had shouted. Instead, she sped up a little more and slowly reached into the side pocket of her bag. She was just about to step into the pool of light cast by her mile marker when the person shouted again, "Hey! I'm talkin' to you." This time they were much closer. Gripping the small canister she was looking for, the pinkette turned slightly to find a worn, coarse man scowling at her from a few paces away. He was reaching toward her when a gunshot rang out, nerve-wreckingly loud in the otherwise quiet street.

The strange man stumbled backwards in fear as the brickwork a foot from his face exploded out in a rain of red dust. Sakura screamed and wheeled back, nearly dropping her bag as her shoe caught on a crack in the sidewalk. Pinwheeling her arms, she caught herself and nearly screeched again when she caught sight of the shadowy figure in the alley to her right. A tall silhouette was standing, arm extended only a yard from her. She could literally see the smoke rolling off the barrel of his recently fired gun.

The sound of the man who'd yelled at her running away down a sidestreet was little more than a buzz in her ears as she fumbled with the little can in her hands. Finally gripping her little mace canister, she pointed it at the armed man and stuttered, "D-Don't do anything stupid! I don't have anything worth stealing!"

An unimpressed snort was her only answer. As the man strolled forward into the illumination of the streetlamp Sakura was standing in, he replied, "I'm not going to rob you, Doctor Sakura Haruno."

Pale eyebrows snapped downward as the young woman asked somewhat breathlessly, "How do you...?" There was a rustle of fabric as the figure shoved his firearm into a holster concealed by his suit jacket before he began to move. Bright light spilled across the now seemingly unarmed man as he stepped into the pool of false light, his hands shoved in his pockets. Dark hair, dark eyes and a blank but somehow condescending expression. Sakura let her arm drop to her side as she shouted, "You!"

A black eyebrow raised a fraction as he drolled, "Me." Without another word, he turned and continued down the street, clearly expecting her to follow. Blinking after his retreating form, the young doctor stood frozen for a moment before jogging to catch up with the mysterious man. "Wait up, Mr. Uchiha!"

The man stopped dead at the sound of his name. Shifting his body only enough to shoot her a fathomless glare, he asked tersely, "How do you know that name?"

Finally reaching his side, Sakura smiled slightly despite his foreboding look. "I'm a doctor. I told you that. It was in your chart. And--"

"Fine." He interjected, effectively ending her chatter.

The petite girl frowned at his curt manner. She was just trying to be nice. Biting her lip a little, she ventured, "So...you're like, in the mafia?" She risked a quick glance up at him through her choppy bangs when he was silent.

His first expression was one of slight shock at her blase attitude, then a flicker of amusement that tilted his thin lips. At last he mumbled, "You're annoying."

This time, the pinkette didn't hold back her frustrated huff. In a poor imitation of a baritone, she mocked, "Ooh! I'm Mr. ToughGuy! Look at my scary gun! I'll--"

The look he slanted her was enough to quiet her. Blushing a little, Sakura mumbled, "Sorry. I'm just exhausted. I guess it's making me silly." As she rubbed her eyes a little pathetically, she added, "I just wanna go home and sleep."

From the corner of his eye, Sasuke observed the young doctor. In her slim-fitted jeans and bright shirt with its prominent, teeny-bop logo, she hardly looked old enough to be out of high school. It didn't seem plausible for her to have graduated from medical school with flying colors. Her odd hair color did nothing to help matters. It was cut in what he assumed was intended to be a sophisticated bob, but came off as sweet and a little tomboyish. Waves were developing in the short locks as it air dried, leaving little wisps that escaped from her scattered barrettes to frame her face. On her shoulder, she sported a white, oversized leather bag that was stuffed to the brim. It only served to make her short stature even more prominent and her limbs appear even slimmer.

Turning his gaze back to the rain-soaked pavement before him, he noted how squeaky-clean she looked against the gritty backdrop of the city around her. As she took quick steps to keep up with his loping stride, he wondered what kind of pair they made as they passed. She with her young, innocent looks and he with his dark, world-wise attire. Jumping back to the present at her angered squawk, he stared down at the girl, trying to uncover what had disturbed her enough to pause their progress.

She was glaring balefully down at her foot as she shook it. Glancing up to her companion, she mourned, "I stepped in a puddle and now _both_ my socks are wet."

Inspecting her shoes for a moment, he drawled, "There are holes in them. Surely you didn't expect them to be waterproof?"

"Yeah, yeah!," she waved her hands as she pulled a face at his sarcasm. "You're a comedian. No really. You are." Tsking and setting her foot back down, she continued on down the sidewalk. "I'll have you know they're very sensible for my line of work."

At his bored hum, the young woman gave him a green eyed glare over her shoulder. Smirking a little at her ire, he couldn't resist jabbing, "I can tell."

Their light hearted bicker continued all the way to the Sakura's apartment where the still smug Agent bid the woman goodnight. After a quick perimeter check, he headed to meet his partners. His usually dower demeanor was somewhat lightened...until Naruto opened his mouth, at least.

In the following months, Kakashi pretended not to notice when his young apprentice began disappearing every other night at the same time. After all, someone had to keep the young doctor out of trouble.

* * *

**O.O Not using brand names in modern-times-verse is hard! Yeesh. **

**I'm begining to fall a little bit in love with this mini-plot. :3**

_Fealty _**update is coming soon! I've got a fic to Beta, then I'll touch up chapter 6 and post, I promise! Look for it by Friday at the latest.**

**Thank you for reading and please review!**


	6. Night Sky

**Night Sky**

**014. **_you're hiding something, 'cause it's burning through your eyes / I try to get it out, but all I hear from you are lies_

"Hello Sakura."

The gesture Sakura flashed him as she grasped her throat and coughed made Suigetsu laugh. Sasuke was considerably less amused. The shurikan he flicked at the offending digit only gave hera hairline cut but left no question as to what he would do if she repeated the motion. It was the red head's turn to laugh when the ruddy-faced pinkette cursed and snatched her hand back.

At her colorful language,her former teammate smirked, "I see you'vepicked up a few of your Sannin sensei's habits."

Finally standing fully and catching her breath, Sakura pointedly inspected Sasuke's attire and compainions. "I could easily say the same."

Sasuke just glared and asked, "What are you doing alone outside Konoha?"

A sassy smile lit the kunoichi's features as she breezed, "Well, to be honest, the whole place's gone to shit since you've been gone. "Motioning to herself she added, "Hell, they made _me_ Jounin. I mean, what _were _they thinking? Solo missions and--"

When his teammates laughed again, the Uchiha narrowed his eyes and spoke without looking at them. "Leave."

The red head stood and protested, "But Sasu--"

All that it took to silence the Sound kunoichi was a look. As their footsteps faded into the surrounding forest, Sasuke turned back to face the pinkette. "You're drunk."

Laughing a little and healing her finger, Sakura shrugged. "Yeah. A little."

He shot her what she assumed to be a disgusted look. Squinting a little, she decided it was hard to tell with the lighting and the fact he refused to be very expressive. Rather than dwell on it, she sauntered over to where the Mist shinobi had dropped her sake bottle. As she hefted it and took a drink, she heard a bit of movement behind her. Flexing her chakra a little, she decided it was probably the kunoichi from earlier, sticking around to listen in. Shrugging again, she plopped down and busied herself with finishing off her bottle. She was too sloshed to care what dirty laundry got aired infront of the enemy kunoichi.

Her little reverie was shattered when the wad of cash she'd earned earlier bounced down in the dirt in front of her. Following its trajectory back to the man who'd thrown it, she glared half-heartedly at Sasuke. As he held her pack in one hand, he gave her a look that she supposed was intended to inspire her to explain the money. Deciding to humor them both, she quipped, "Being a kunoichi sure pays well these days."

Expression darkening at her blase additude, Sasuke drawled, "Suigetsu mentioned a kiss, just what sort of kunoichi work is it that pays so well?"

Her temper skyrocketed at the insinuation. Every ninja knew that only the weakest female nin got _those _missions. The kunoichi with only their bodies to offer were assigned to them when their fighting skills leveled out at mediocre.

The little snort she heard in the bushes behind her gave her a splinded idea. A flash-step later, Sakura was standing infront of the tree the red head was hiding behind. One chakra-enhanced kick smashed the tree into a thousand pieces, leaving the Sound kunoichi crouched defensively in the rubble.

Shooting the girl a glassy-eyed glare, Sakura pivoted to face the Uchiha and hissed, "Maybe that's what you keep her around for, but I'm a ninja for a gods-damned reason."

The red head's offended screech didn't make Sakura turn, instead she quipped over her shoulder, "I wouldn't try it. I fight better drunk of my ass than you do sober." Laughing a little to herself, she added, "Tsunade-shishou made sure of _that_."

When the kunoichi stood, still intending to attack the pinkette, Sasuke snarled, "Karin."

Sure of her attention, he didn't break his gaze from Sakura as he ordered, "Leave. Now."

There was no further argument from the Sound-nin as she disappeared back into the treeline. Inspecting the destruction left after the Leaf-nin's tantrum, he just scoffed and tossed her pack beside her sitting form.

Glaring up at the dark haired boy, Sakura asked defensively, "What? That's not all I can do you know." Rolling the jug she held between her palms, she clarified, "I wasn't joking about them promoting me to Jounin."

"You couldn't perform a full henge at Jounin level?" Though his voice was flat, she still got the impression he was mocking her.

Rather than rising to the bait, she snorted, "Like you said, I'm drunk." Taking another swig, she added as an afterthought, "And my name's not Lee."

Sasuke stared across the fire at her while she laughed at her own little joke. Finally he muttered, "Impulsive. Weak in the way all Leaf nin are." He didn't flinch when the fire next to him roared, Sakura's sake bottle shattering at its base.

Settling back and beginning to regret throwing away the alcohol, the pinkette growled, "You really know how to kill a girl's buzz." As she reclined back onto the log she was sitting infront of, she drawled, "You know...I'm not nearly as weak as you seem to take me for."

His slanted eyebrow revealed what he thought of that. Sakura just sighed and deflected the shurikan she didn't really even see him throw with a kunai she'd drawn in the blink of an eye. Giggling a little to herself, she stabbed her knife into the dirt by her hip. "You don't scare me, Sasuke." Dragging her half-glazed eyes up to meet his dark ones, she knew she was lying.

This man terrified her.

The leanly muscular, emotionally _dead _shinobi sitting a few yards away from her wasn't the boy she used to know. She had no illusions about that. Dull green eyes watched as he shifted his weight in that oh-so-familiar way and thought amusedly to herself, _'But Sasuke-kun, the one I loved, isn't completely gone.' _

Even though she knew he was coming, there was nothing she could do to stop him from wrenching her to her feet by her long hair. He was so gods-damned _fast_. As salty tears gathered at the corners of her eyes at his rough handling, Sakura distantly wondered if her scalp was bleeding.

Infinately deep, empty pools were boring into hers as he spoke. "You should be afraid."

The alcohol in her bloodstream was making her warm and brave when she laughed and replied mock-innocently, "But I'm _not_." A harsh tug at the hair in his grip made her playfully rounded eyes squint shut in pain.When she felt his muscles shift, preparing to strike, she let herself go slack in his grip.As her bodybegan to feel boneless, she resigned herself to the blow.

Something he assumedwas long dead flared to life for a moment behind his eyes as he released his former teammate. Her unprepared legs failed beneath her and she crumpled to the ground in a startlingly small heap. He stood, hand still extended above her, and stared down at her little collapsed body. In a scathing hiss, Sasuke snarled down to her, "You're still sopathetic."

False bravado gone, the defeated pinkette worbled, "I know." Not looking into his eyes, sheinstead stared off toward the still blazing fire and repeated,"I know."Despite her frail voice, Sakura's eyes were surprisingly dry. She just felt...worn down and beaten. Not sad or weepy. Just _tired_.

Sasuke watched, letting his arm fall back to his side as the petite girl slid onto her back. She just laid there dejectedly and stared up at the starry sky above them. Silence reigned for so long the Uchiha was nearly startled when her voice reached his ears.

"Sasuke?"

He didn't respond, but she continued in the same quiet tone when he tilted his head slightly in her direction, "I'm not going to try and drag you back..." He looked away once more when she failed to say 'home.' His non-existant heart gave an unwelcome lurch at that and he didn't want it to be apparent on his face. Not now that she was finally taking a hint.

When he said nothing, the exhausted pinkette went on, "I see now that you've...changed." Sighing and rolling her head so she could stare into the night sky once more, she concluded, "I'll tell Naruto-kun when I get back. We won't bother you anymore." A long pause and she said, "I just hope you get what you've always wanted. I'm sorry we held you back." She pronouced the last syllable as if the very last breath in her body was rushing from her as she spoke it.

His sudden appearance above her starled Sakura.Onyx hair seemed even blacker against the midnight blue behind him as he looked back at her haphazard form. The starlight that shone around the long spikes of his hair madethe kunoichi smile a little cynically.They were like a celestial crown and the irony wasn't lost on her. He'd been the divine ruler of her entire universe once.

Watching her smile like that, bitter and self-loathing, made Sasuke angry. The negative emotion was something that he could grasp, work with. His blank mask slid into place once more as he found his footing at last. Aquiet rustle of fabric and his kusanagi was at her pale, frail throat. He stared intently at the place where metal met skin as he rumbled, "I could kill you."

Not a half second after the words fell from his lips, she whispered,"I know." The smile didn't even waver from her face as she spoke. Blood welled in beads that were stark against her complexion as he pressed the blade tighter against her neck. When he repeated himself,Sakura just nodded, letting the grin fade at last as she stared unabashedly at him.

A long second hovered, suspended by the tension between the two former teammates. Sasuke was watching the scarlet line he created drip down the throat he'd risked his life to protect, not so long ago. Irony was in the air that night, or so it seemed.Sakura just waited for her judgement, not nearly as worried as she was sure she should be. She attributed it to her optimistic side that was frantically telling her Sasuke-kun would never do what he was considering. In the same second, she reasoned acerbically, Sasuke_-kun_ is dead.His corpse was standing above her now.

Sasuke felt his resolve breaking apart in his head. He was watching blood run over Sakura's skin and it made him feel physically ill. She was perfectly content to lay there and die. She was so _weak_. This is the kind of weakness that he'd fled Konoha to escape. That crippling emotional attachement that made perfectly trained shinobi do what his teammate was doing here and now. Something cold flowed through his veins as his instinct hissed that she deserved to die. In a world where only the strongest survive, ninja in her position didn't deserve to go on. He lost count of how many times he told his hand to do the deed only to cull the impulse before he could carry out his intention.

All at once, he backed away. As he melted into the shadows of the trees, Sakura heard a forceful, "_Go_."

For amoment, she was frozen. Then realization melted her system and she was off like a shot. As she pumped chakra into her legs and moved faster than she thought she was capable of, she thought she heard his voice on the breeze. The fear that he'd changed his mind made her push herself to move faster and as she heard crashing trees in her wake, she knew it was useles.

He was chasing her.

* * *

**A little short, I know, but I needed to do something to get Featly flowing in my head again. It's frying my brain! Lol. :3 It'll be posted soon,though. I've also taken a little time to plan this mini-plot out and I foresee about three or four more installments. Sorry for any words that have run together -- has a few bugs at the moment.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	7. A Lie for the Stones

**A Lie for the Stones**

_It would be easy to be clever  
And tell the stones: Men hate to die  
And have stopped dying now forever.  
I think they would believe the lie.  
__**--from In a Disused Grave Yard**_

_**by Robert Frost**_

"She's dead."

Sasuke hardly aknowledged Suigetsu's appraisal of the newest hunter-nin to foolishly track his team. The tiny body of the fallen kunoichi laid sprawled near the former Mist-nin's feet, crumpled and rent. Her pale blue hair flagged near her unrepentant killer's toes, but the water-loving boy paid no heed, simply prodding her stiffening form with one foot as if to prove his point. Her limp body responded to gravity's siren song, head tilting from its skyward direction till one pale cheek rested against the dirt.

_Revealing a milky stare behind a half-shattered mask_.

"Dispose of it."

Suigetsu's pale eyes snapped upward with the abrupt anger in his superior's voice. Rather than provoke him further, Suigetsu hurriedly tucked his waterbottle away and gathered the deceased female before departing.

Once his teammate had disappeared over the ridge that they'd been ambushed upon, Sasuke let his eyes slip closed for a moment. Death wasn't a foreign sight to his dark gaze. Far from it, and the recent skirmish hadn't been excessively bloody. Suigetsu had simply handled the situation, as the oi-nin had been one from his own former home. But in the course of their battle, the brash swordsman had nicked the woman's oblong porcelain mask with his enormous blade. A single, bright emerald eye had been revealed.

Somewhere a girl with eyes like the ones he'd just watch fade was fighting. She was fighting for the Village he'd left behind. Fighting nin like the one he'd become and only the Dobe was there to keep her safe.

_Somewhere nearby a girl with eyes like Sakura's was being buried deep beneath the ground._

* * *

A dead-end drabble that I started for a S/S challenge on the Forum but never really developed. Hope you like. CT's next chapter's being worked on now, hope to have it up by Friday. Thanks for reading, reviews are appreciated.


	8. Some Things

**Some Things**

_Snakes in the grass beneath our feet,_

_Clouds in the sky above..._

_Some moments last forever,_

_but some flare out with love, love, love._

_-__**Love, Love, Love**_ _by _The Mountain Goats

* * *

_It shouldn't be this way_, she couldn't help but think. A faint, familiar burn blossomed behind Sakura's eyes as she stared out the rain-soaked window pane. _It was _never _supposed to happen like this_. Dark-haired figures were milling around the driveway next door, their movements half obscured by the ancient oak tree that spanned the small leeway between the neighboring yard and her own. Boxes, plain brown kind, but meticulously labeled, were being piled into the back of the subtly sophisticated sedan that gleamed beetle-black in the wet and muted sunshine.

Chill seeped into the girl's fingertips as thin, frosty rings of condensation formed around where her small fingers ever-so-softly contacted the glass of the window. A wan frown met her face with startling ease as she forced herself to back away from the sight, back into the lackluster solace of her room. Quiet, moody music crooned from the stereo buried somewhere in the myriad of junk and book work near the closet, but Sakura could hardly hear its low hum. Her tear-bright eyes skipped over the contents of her small bedroom with ill ease. A tightening sensation in her ribcage was making her positively breathless. Her life was making a leap forward and leaving her heart in the past, or so it seemed.

Something deep-seated lurched at the thought. Still cold fingers shocked the soft skin of her lips as she brought her hand up to her mouth, a strangled sob wrenching in her throat. Free hand curling instinctively into her middle, Sakura cradled her suddenly sour stomach. Her body curved, knees weak and head stuffy, mind whirring. It was really happening. Sasuke was leaving. And there was nothing she could do about it. Her residency was set in stone and his contract with the firm had expired. _Oh God._

There was such strange finality in those thoughts.

The slam of a car door tugged her back from the recesses of her mind with a violent jerk. Hands suddenly numb with dread dropped to her sides as she broke for the front door at a dead run. Her hand was on the door knob when a loud knock rang out from the other side. Jumping backward with a start, Sakura was momentarily stunned with surprise. At her startled gasp, the door whipped open to reveal a tall silhouette. Sasuke's dark brows were drawn and his blue-black eyes poured over her upturned, tear-streaked face with mute, exasperated concern.

Stepping the rest of the way into the warm little parlor, he considered the small figure before him. Barefoot, with her pale red-blonde mane rioting down her slim back, Sakura looked too young for the worry welled in her features. The thin material of the tank top and sleep shorts that wrapped her ridiculously petite form did nothing to ward off the early spring cold snap that was manifesting outdoors. A sigh slipped from his person as Sasuke rolled the light leather jacket from his shoulders, swinging it around the shorter female before she could blink.

Beryl green eyes wavered on his aquiline features as she gathered the upturned collar at the base of her throat. Toes bunching over the smooth boards of the floor, Sakura rocked back onto her heels, as if gathering momentum for her words. "You're going to take the job, then?" Wincing when the question presented itself in a tone that implied a fact, the young doctor dropped her gaze to the sensible polo stretched over Sasuke's leanly muscled torso. The dove grey fabric matched the sky framed in the doorway beyond and cast his inky hair with pale shadows, she noted.

She was so absorbed in memorizing his blurring figure that she hardly noticed his slow nod. The colors that were already bleeding together in her gaze ran with abandon at his confirmation, the wealth of grief that she'd stymied with denial finally giving way. Sakura refused to drop her eyes to her feet, despite her manners dictating that it was rude for force him to watch her tears. She wanted his features to remain forever in her mind the way they looked now, stunning even in the half-light. But damnable moisture was freefalling and her perception was skewering, mottling like a watercolor scene. She knew already that her memory of this moment would never be quite clear enough, and she hated it already. She wanted a single glimpse of _something_ to remember him by.

Her breath hitched. The color of his eyes flared against the light tan of his face, unfolding like a bruised-violet supernova. Indescribably, the hue only seemed to strengthen as the rest of the spectrum faded into pale and her vision began to fail. Vertigo turned Sakrua's stomach until she fell into a sort of fuzzy near swoon. Warm arms and a low curse told her that she'd been spared her dignity and a tumble. The spicy clean scent that lingered in her waking dreams filled her heartbroken senses as she was settled onto something stable. The little padded bench she'd reupholstered as a weekend project months ago, she faintly realized.

For what seemed like a small eternity, roughened hands smoothed her long hair away from her reluctantly unconcious features. As her thoughts ebbed resolutely away with the seeming ease of the situation, Sakura thought she heard a quiet, "Thank you."

But woke alone, nonetheless.

* * *

**My take on a modern-day "Bench Scene." Sorry if it's hard to follow, this sort of poured out. I'm a little angsty at the moment (needless to say, this isn't the mood fans of CT want me writing that particular story-line in, lest it end sadly). I'm back from hiatus, though. Expect updates. Thanks.**

**Reading's appreciated, reviews are golden. **


	9. Medicine Man

**Medicine Man**

Sakura watched the steam roll from the piping hot cup in her hands with a fascination born of exhaustion. Coffee at long, long last. It had been a grueling shift. Resisting the urge to press the heel of one hand into her left eye with a tired sort of irritation, she tried to remember the last time she'd remembered to have her vision checked. Her contacts were hassling her, the strain of the evidentially too-old prescription straining her eyes to the max. A soft complaint fell from her lips as the itchy ache seemed to intensify. In an admirable show of stubborn coordination, the strawberry blonde hipped her way into the breakroom mid-sip, a thin sheaf of forms in one hand and her liquid energy in the other.

Smile spreading along with the rush of heat and much needed caffeine, the young doctor dropped her cargo onto the table under a rain-spattered window, shrugged the crisp white coat from her shoulders and tossed it over the back of her usual chair. Crumbling into the plastic seat with a happy exhale, Sakura settled her cup toward the middle of the table and pulled the stack of papers to the forefront. The pen she remembered stashing in her coat pocket eluded her for a frustrating moment, but once the AWOL utensil found her hand, fifteen minutes of busy work flew by fairly painlessly.

Scratching another footnote onto the page atop the stack, apple green eyes watched the ink begin to run into mush as her thoughts began to wander. The quiet shush of the door swinging open hardly registered as she absently scrubbed her sore eyes. Yellow-y light poured from the refrigerator as the room's newest occupant rummaged, the additional illumination mixing with the rain washed rays that the single window allowed.

The crack of an opening can surprised Sakura, jolting her from her daydreams. Cobalt eyes tracked her reaction, jumping shoulders to muffled gasp, over a condensation-frosted can. Dr. Uchiha's dark hair stirred handsomely over his smooth brow as he nodded a greeting.

Swallowing convulsively and wiggling the pen in her grasp, Sakura smiled quickly and muttered a passable, "Doctor."

The heat that danced into her cheeks was mortifying. With movements that she hoped conveyed nonchalance, the young woman arranged her upper body over the remainder of her paper work. And tried to disguise her blush. Peace enough to make any progress on the forms was difficult to come by, however.

Since his arrival at Konoha General, the gorgeous Dr. Uchiha had been the talk of the female population. From what she'd gathered, he'd transfered from Rice Hospital and had been a volunteer in one of the post-war zones before that. He was professional to the point of a near fault, neither off-putting or encouraging to his many amorous perusers. He simply did his job and went home. No dates, no dinner with colleagues. Just business-but Sakura couldn't help herself.

So far as she was concerned, he was neigh on aesthetically perfect; a total and utter traffic-stopper with his razorblade cheekbones and jawline. Not to mention that deep, deep blue gaze. Or his mouth. A breath whispered from her chest as she thought of that sculpted, bowed upper lip and its fuller mate. It was like they were _designed_ to drive her mad. And his body? Sakura caught herself before she could turn to catch a glance in the present tense. Clamping down on the impulse and resigning herself once again to side-long glances across the ER, she pictured his solid frame in her mind with a veritable purr. Broad shoulders, trim waist and sleek musculature. Not too bulky, but impossible to miss beneath his classic polos and tailored button-downs.

A firm hand caught her wrist as it lifted to harry her tingling eye once again, freezing her mind as it finally began to direct itself to her absolute favorite aspect of the debonair M.D.'s appearance. Her wide, apple green gaze slashed up to absorb the sight Dr. Uchiha presented with a casually hitch brow, his unspoken question hanging in the air between the two of them.

Clearing her throat and grinning sheepishly, Sakura gathered the presence of mind to speak. "Oh, ha! It-it's nothing. I just need to update my prescription." A hard blink did nothing to ease the burning that her hand had been en route to tend. It was almost worth the irritating ache to watch the subtle play of expression over her co-worker's visage as he analyzed her behavior. Determination with an edge of some softer emotion Sakura didn't have time to identify won out, thinning the lush line of his mouth but lightening the cast of his gaze a split second before his free hand caught her chin.

Before she could protest, Sakura felt her chair slide away from her place at the table, her male counterpart arranging her with ease until her position accommodated his impromptu exam. A penlight appeared in his hand and the young woman had to concentrate on the routine actions he dictated to her and following them. It was a fight with her inner fangirl, who clamored to watch the tick and play of the muscle in his long, capable hands. Something about the confidence and skill they exuded harried her to distraction.

Flicking the light off once more, Dr. Uchiha released her chin from his grip and commented, "Looks like mild verging on serious irritation. Do you have your frames with you?"

With a lot of willpower, Sakura managed to decode his question rather than dwelling on the smooth timbre of his voice. Blinking forcefully against the need to rub, she replied, "I wish I did, but I really don't like them." Wincing at the lame excuse she started to bluster, "Not that-"

Crossing his arms across his chest after waving off her attempt, the tall male interrupted, "Contact solution?"

"Yes, actually." Pleased to have done something redeemable, Sakura rose from her seat and made for the buttery yellow lockers near the door. As she quickly unlocked her cubby and lifted her large tote bag free, the red-blonde nudged around in its depths for a couple of seconds before pulling the tiny squeeze bottle free. Before she could do much more, the container was free from her hand and Dr. Uchiha was gesturing for her to re-assume her seat.

Settling into the chair with a little hesitation and dropping her purse at her feet, she warbled, "This is hardly neccisary, Dr. Uchiha. I can-"

"Sasuke." A warm palm settled onto her forehead, brushing her wispy bangs aside as he tilted her face to his design. "Keep your eyes open wide for me."

As if her eyes would ever loose their 'doe in the headlights' expression. Of course she'd known his first name, but he'd _told_ her. Ino, her nutritionist best friend, would eat her heart out when sh-The splash of the first drop finding her parched retina startled her from her ecstatic thoughts. A second rejuvenating drop found the same orb before he released her momentarily. Once she'd accommodated herself to the refreshing sensation, Sakura watched with carefully reigned interest as Sasuke adjusted his ultra-thin, gunmetal frames with the back of his occupied hand. Sluggish mind finally catching up enough to wonder why he wouldn't use the hand **not** gripping the small bottle of solution, her fogged brain finally saw fit to note that his other hand was firmly entrenched in the sideswept bangs at her ear.

Swallowing slowly, Sakura was too dazed to do more than allow Sasuke to angle her face back again. The drops came no more quickly or less carefully, but the pounding of her heart and racing of her mind made the experience speed by in a blur. Watching the man above her do something as routine as _shift his glasses_ should **not** have sent her into a mental tailspin. But something about the way the cat-eye frames sat upon his strong, straight nose and shadowed his deep-set eyes made her arguably brilliant mind go utterly blank.

Rather than embarrassing herself and staring at her colleague anymore than she already had, Sakura sat up quickly. Fought for composure. But the quick movement didn't allow enough time for her eye to assimilate all of the solution. A surplus of saline slipped over her lower lid before she could react, trekking down her cheek like a rapid tear. A pair of lightly calloused fingertips brushed the moisture from her cheek before she could react.

One of her hands attached itself to the wrist of the hand buried in her long bangs, moving along with it as Sasuke's hand ghosted down, down. It had settled, confident and warm at the base of her throat in what could only be called a possessive, intimate touch when an electronic voice crooned, "_She want that lovey dovey. Dovey dovey! Tha' kiss, kiss! In 'er mind she fantasize 'bout gettin' with __**me**_."

Two pairs of eyes swung to rest on the slim figure in the doorway. A petite blonde stood, shellshocked, her Blackberry bleating guiltily in her right hand. Snapping to, Ino jabbed a manicured finger at the device, silencing the little beast mid-word. Her generally confident tone was pale as her complexion. "I-uh, I-I'm gonna just...go." In a flurry of sweet perfume and long hair, the pretty nutritionist disappeared.

Squeezing her eyes tight against the awkwardness that was sure to settle soon, Sakura nearly jolted in her seat as a lightly roughened thumb feathered against the delicate skin of her throat. The touch was too brief for her to do more than sigh in pleasure. Too soon, his hand was gone, her own floating down to rest in her lap as he pulled away. With an airy sort of disconnect, she pried her eyes open and watched him scrawl something onto the papers that lay forgotten on the table with the pen she'd abandoned along with them. The quick, methodical movements of his left handed writing shouldn't have been as sexy as they struck Sakura to be.

After gathering the neglected can he'd settled on the table next to her work, of Red Bull she noted with muted interest, he pointed to the lines he'd scribbled in the upper corner of one form. "That's my private line. Call when you're finished with your shift." His points made and orders issued, Dr. Uchiha glanced one last time at Sakura's dazed, prettily flushed face. The first smile she'd seen from him lightened his features, flashing pearly white teeth for a scant second before smoothing away. Only a tilt around those intense eyes behind their masculine frames suggested his mirth.

He turned, striding back toward the door. Back to work. Before he walked out, he turned slightly and added, "And take the lenses out when you get home."

* * *

Craptastic closing, for the loose. But it's late and I like the main body enough to worry about it not. Anyway, I'm still alive and working on CT. This was bouncing in my head, though. So here you have it.

This random drabble inspired by Gabzilla's epic pic: _http (colon) (slash) (slash) gabzillaz (dot) deviantart (dot) com (slash) art (slash) SS (dash) Doctors (dash) 116708295 _

If my attempt at link plugging fails as hard as it looks to, just type 'SS Doctors' into the devArt search and it should pop up. And I switched the glasses from Sakura to Sauce :B Sorry, Ms. Gabzilla, but I'm a sucker for smexy frames on a hot body! XD

PS I don't own 'Kiss Kiss' by Chris Brown or 'Medicine Man' by The Hush Sound. I just listened to both while I wrote this one.

PPS Forgetting/neglecting to remove/cleanse contacts is SRS business, SRSLY. The bf almost pwn'd his baby blues being a lazy bum, so I don't recommend. Corneal ulcers are about as cuddly as they sound. SRSLY.

PPPS I don't know if Sauce would actually like Red Bull, it's a really strange, aquired taste in my opinion and I can see it being a possibility. (oh, and I'm addicted to it so maybe I'm a bit biased) Plus it's fanfiction, so nah.

PPPPS Yeah I made Sauce a lefty, he strikes me as the type. (LEFTIES FOR TEH WINZ) Plus eet's sexi XD

That is all.

Reviews are golden, thanks for the read.


	10. Daisy Chains

**Daisy Chains**

Her life sometimes felt like an exercise in waiting. Sakura decided so as she sat cross-legged on her bed, staring at her inactive cell phone. Chin in hand, the newly turned twenty year old observed the skittering reflections on the face of the device with a detached sort of interest. Her fingers pressed absently at the edges of the slight depression in the bedcovers where the phone laid as she tried her best to think about nothing at all.

But nothing brought to mind 'none' and a litany of questions that revolved around her lack of incoming calls and text messages. Sighing in what wasn't emotion so much as it was a sad lack of it; the young woman turned her gaze to the ceiling. Her chest didn't twinge at the thought of her silent phone. And she wasn't deluding herself, she was dwelling someplace in her mind that was free of the little electronic reminder of _him_.

Inside herself, Sakura was reminiscing about bright summer days spent in the field just beyond the window to her left. When she and _he_ were only children, bright eyed ones with too much time to consider each other. For her, it meant a sufficent span to build her life around the boy and canonize until _he_ was simply all there was. For _him_, it was long enough to develop a tolerance for the girl that never wavered and always implied a little more than it showed. An odd pair, others would say. Their names always spoken in the same breath, but they weren't **together**, didn't you know. Everything that counted to one and other, but just shy of earning a title that made their bond acceptable-palatable-comprehensible to all the eyes watching-judging-whispering.

Blinking hard against those familiar insecurities, Sakura lets her upperbody fall back until she's reclining against her pillows. In her periphial vision, a familiar frame is sitting quietly on her bureau. She doesn't have to take her green, green gaze away from the window to know the picture inside in painstaking detail. Without turning to consider the print, she knows that a little girl is beaming behind a disgruntled boy of six, her arms laden with flower wreaths similar to the one that adorns his brow. The day is one she's never forgotten.

She remembers the feather weight of the strung-together blooms like she remembers the tickle of the petals against her fingertips as she lifts the most perfect one of the bunch away from its peers. Sakura can still remember the pins and needles feeling building in her little frame as she worked past her nervousness to step up behind the quiet boy. The very same one who's doing his duty by 'playing' with her as his mother asked of him. But she would rather remember dropping that little token of her efforts over his brow and laughing merrily when he registers its presence. The click of the camera is not something she recalls, but rather something she reasons must have happened. That is, of course, the moment that is captured in the frame she's kept so devoutly for so very long.

But at the time, she only registers the blue-black of his eyes as he shoves the wildflower chain out of his eyes--but not off of his crown completely. He looked at her fleetingly as he decided on the half-hearted action, she knows for sure. She couldn't have known then that that particular breed of partial consideration for her feelings would become a staple of his treatment of her. Instead, she simply moved to take her hand back away from the space over his head, where it had frozen as she sprung her gift on her reluctant playmate. A tug at her wrist made her aware of the plight that her older self would look back and acknowledge as prophetic. The braided meadow grass bracelet she'd adorned herself with was caught upon one of the flowers that made up _his_ crown. For a moment in time, she is linked to him of her own making and violation in a literal, physical sense. She's caught by her own design, but _he_--_he_ could pull away from what she laid onto his brow and be free of her so easily.

Instead, he sighs and holds still against every expectation. A moment later, the tangle is righted and they are free of each other but exponentially closer all at once. Because he chose to allow for Sakura's faults and that will set the stage for the rest of the history of _them_.

In the present tense, Sakura's musings are scattered by a low thrum. Her hand is over her cell phone and the device is at her ear before she really stops to think, but all she hears is the voice in her ear saying in that soft and subtle way that only _he _can: "Sakura."

A smile fills her face to bursting as she sits up and breathes in deeply for what feels like the first time since she last spoke to him. And in her own way, the one she reserves just for him, she replies: "Sasuke."

Her toes skim the carpet as she shifts and her idle hand finds the photograph at the bedside. As she speaks lowly and happily into the phone, her fingers trace the features of a young, half-annoyed boy in the picture that captures their story so completely. As her eyes alight on the daisy wreath that links the two of them in that long-ago time, she realizes that all chains bind...but that some chains are made up of something _beautiful_. And sometimes being bound isn't at all something to regret.

* * *

**Uh....I'm trying a new style? And I'm in an odd mood, so sorry if the symbolism is off-color or just plain OUT THERE. **

**In short, I just want to explicitly state that the point of this mess was to highlight my take on the whole SasuSaku dynamic: Sakura **_**has**_** to love Sasuke, Sasuke **_**chooses**_** to love Sakura. Rather or not you got that out of the drabble above...well, I'll chalk that up to my rustiness/sleepiness/failure as an author (particularly at this new style). XD **

**As to my mood, I'm currently home from college while my best friend/permanent love interest for LIFE is still on campus back east. I wrote this while I was waiting on his call. So some shades of our relationship sneaked into this piece, but I like to think he always manages to find a way into my "art." :) We spent a prolonged period of time in that awkward "JUST FRIENDS SRSLY!" stage, and I was reminded of that earlier so it sort of worked into this drabble with that 'they aren't together, don't you know' bit.**

**I'll stop babbling about my life now, just wanted to clarify. LOL. **

**Reviews are appreciated, thanks for reading!**


	11. Paparazzi

**Paparazzi**

"What is this?"

Sakura heard the flutter of pages and a surprisingly weighty thump following the question. The textbook in her lap nearly lost its perch as she jumped in surprise. Not to mention that the line she'd been highlighting was a mess. Frowning at the tone of Sasuke's voice, her apple green gaze found the source of the sound almost instantly. He'd dropped something onto her already cluttered work desk.

The addition was starkly obvious against the dour backdrop of her academic papers. A brightly colored magazine's cover was still shivering in the slight wind its drop from the Uchiha's standing position had created. Well, that was one way to say hello after a nearly week absence overseas on a business venture.

Lips pursed, the strawberry blonde ticked her head to the side to better read the headline. _International Sensation Finds New Femme? _Sakura felt her eyebrows twitch downward in confusion. Of course Naruto was on the cover, after all his newest album had been released only last week and everyone and their auntie knew about his love of the fairer sex--

The medical student felt her brain screech to a halt when she finally allowed her eyes to alight on the picture accompanying the glaring speculation. She recognized that jumper and overcoat. Not to mention the adorable suede knee-high boots Ino had heckled her into. They _did _make her legs look longer, she noted with a little preen.

It was her. The picture must've been snapped when she and Naruto had shared a lunch the previous Friday afternoon between her night course and his scheduled appearance on a nighttime talk show. The snapshot had been framed to insinuate that the arm the blond had slung over her shoulder as he laughed heartily was more than friendly. Her hand, which had actually been covering her mouth in preparation for a sneeze, in the context of the magazine's cover looked decidedly coy.

She and Naruto? _Right._

Rolling her eyes and refocusing on her scowling beau, Sakura quipped, "You know me. Just couldn't resist his Jrock image and womanizing charm."

Sasuke's frown only darkened. He obviously failed to see the humor in the entire situation.

Sakura felt a grin begin to tuck the corner of her mouth into a full blown smile. Shifting the heavy anatomy tome from her rapidly numbing lap and onto the floor with an enormous thud, the petite twenty-something unfurled herself from her seat. As she regained her balance and stretched luxuriously, her squinted jade gaze zeroed onto Sasuke's still stony one.

She just watched silently as he strode toward the back of the apartment without another glance. He was going to shower and brood a little until he decided exactly how he felt about the cover and story. Then he'd get dressed and think over exactly how he wanted to breach the subject with her again. The original presentation of the magazine had only been a gauge to test her reaction. That gave her around fifteen minutes or more to plan her own response, she calculated. And she knew Sasuke.

Sighing and dropping her arms from their impromptu stretch, she turned with a grace that was characteristic of someone with as much dance experience as she. A handful of moments later she had successfully rooted out the frame she was searching for from the bookshelf behind her desk. The photo she'd been searching for was a much older one.

A pair of eighteen year olds were framed within the shot, one with obviously dyed long, pink locks and the other...she felt the grin returning as she pirouetted and trotted toward their shared bedroom.

When she softly pressed the door open, Sakura found Sasuke seated in on the bed with lounge pants slung low at his waist. A pearly white towel was working its way through his medium length hair. The resulting half-damp spikes reminded her of the picture in her hand and distracted her from the gleam of his leanly muscled back in the low light. A slight tensing of his shoulders told her that he'd noticed her entrance.

Before he could react, she shoved the snapshot and a black felt-tip pen under his nose and tittered, "Oh, Sasuke! Can I have your autograph? Please? I just love your music! No one plays the guitar like-"

Her goofy monologue was cut short with a squeak on her part when Sasuke hooked her about the waist. With a half-hearted pull he had seated her half onto his lap as he plucked the photo from her shock-leadened fingers.

She watched silently as his sloe eyes scanned the snapshot. Although she knew the contents of the photo, she found herself glancing at it anyway. Her younger self was hugging an equally more youthful Sasuke and grinning at the camera. True to the time that the picture had been taken, she was dressed in the flashy costume of one of Naruto's backup dancers. Sasuke on the other hand had a deep black guitar slung over his shoulder and one hand reluctantly placed atop her bottle-pink haired head.

His family had nearly run themselves ragged keeping Sasuke's real last name from being publicized back then. He'd played lead guitar in the earliest incarnation of Naruto's band half out of his love for the music and half for the amusement of exasperating his elder brother. In the photo a younger Sasuke was fighting a smile and wearing some deliciously sized leather pants. It was easily one of Sakura's favorites.

At the time they'd been young adults in university doing their best (in Sakura's case) to pay the bills or (in Sasuke's case) make their families lives sufficiently eventful. Naruto had been the dreamer. The one with the indomitable will to be a star. It had worked out splendidly as well.

Naruto had rocketed to stardom almost instantly after he'd finished a four-year degree in music. Sasuke had eventually reconciled with his elder brother, dropped out of the band and finished his macroeconomics masters program in time to accept a seat on his family business' board. Sakura had been accepted into a prestigious medical school and was working her way into a promising position at one of the premier hospitals in the country.

Almost no one knew how the trio had met up, aside from their attending the same private undergraduate college. Speculation had flown, of course. The Uchiha Corporation's multi-billion dollar worth made newly appointed VP Sasuke almost as big of a celebrity as Naruto. Sakura herself had been sighted on countless occasions with each. It was unusual that a silly article would bother Sasuke the way that this one seemed to be.

Pressing a sedate kiss into the side of Sasuke's neck, Sakura rubbed his near shoulder as she fielded the question. "Is there something that you want to talk about?"

A scowl returned to the businessman's face. One of his long fingers worked over the glossy finish of the photo in his hand, tracing the curve of her image's face. "The Idiot," he began, calling Naruto by his favorite nickname for the enthusiastic blond, "made more than me this quarter."

Before she could stem the impulse, a belly-laugh shook from her body. Sakura waved her hands franticly as she tried to calm down in the face of Sasuke's thunderous expression. "I know..." she erupted into giggles again. "I know that-that, haha, you compete with Naruto but-"

She was cut short as Sasuke exploded into action. Arranging them until her still snickering form was pinned beneath his own, Sasuke replied with a growl. "It is not a humorous fact."

Finally composing herself, Sakura caught her long time love's face between her hands. "_Sasuke_. Be logical. He just released a new album. You've been out of the office working on a merger and unable to work the insane amounts of overtime you love to log. Of _course _his income is fluxing higher right now. It makes logical sen-"

Before she could finish, Sasuke swooped down to capture her lips with his own. Smiling into his kiss, Sakura allowed her hands to slide back into his still slightly wet locks. As she raked her trimmed nails over the spot behind his ear that made him shiver, she pulled back a bit to level her gaze with his own.

Bumping her nose playfully against his, she beamed up at her beau. "You know," she whispered conspiratorially, "I always liked _you_ better."

Sasuke's well formed mouth flexed admirably as he fought a smirk and played along. Brushing his chin against her jaw and responding with a low grunt, he rewarded her favoritism with a trail of suctioned kisses along her milky neck. Laving the line of her collarbone like he knew she loved, his voice was an octave deeper than usual as he commented. "Is that so? He _was_ the lead vocal and namesake of the band. Are you sure?" As soon as the last question left his lips, he have her earlobe a soft nip.

Sakura was sure her voice would fail her as he followed the little twinge of pleasure-pain with enough affection to make her squirm. Catching her lower lip between her teeth and forcing herself to focus, she muttered, "I'm your _biggest _fan, Sasuke." Her breathy confession earned her an amorous roll of his hips against the cradle of her own.

Arching her back and skimming one hand down to the silky waistband of his trousers, Sakura trailed her remaining hand under the intense stare that was piercing her. As she swept one reverent fingertip over the paper-fine skin beneath one cobalt orb, she murmured, "But I do miss the eyeliner a bit."

Her laugh trailed into a happy squeal as Sasuke set about reminding her just who was her favorite.

The following week the headlines read: _Youngest Uchiha Heir Engaged to Med Student Previously Spotted with Idol and Rival Naruto. Could a Possible Love Triangle Be Brewing? Read Within!_

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**Just a little thing that popped into my head while I was listening to 'Paparazzi' by Lady Gaga (whom I LOVE). Also seeing if I even CAN write make-out-ish scenes LOL**

**Thanks for reading!**


	12. A Study in Dialog and Silence

**A Study in Dialog and Silence**

"Do you know who I am?"

The boy she'd introduced herself to with her widest, winning smile seemed somewhere between annoyed and genuinely confused. Sakura blinked and replayed his query in her mind. She was sure she'd heard his name when the teacher had read it off only moments ago. His last name had indeed sounded familiar, but then at a school as prestigious as theirs, that was more expected than surprising. She hadn't realized that some sort of qualifying event was required to speak to him. Well, she thought, maybe my unique approach will make an impression.

She had approached him. The girl who everyone knew was a charity case. One with a scholarship that allowed her to attend the school he'd been a student of for as long as he was of age. Everyone but her it seemed knew the unspoken rule that applied to him. If he spoke to someone, then and only then did he engage in social interaction. Otherwise his peaceful solitude was maintained. No exceptions. His name carried more weight here than most and the children around him already knew the rules of the game. He was not a boy to be crossed. While he did not encourage such sycophancy, he surely did not discourage it. But this one little girl seemed to be bound and determined to make him take an active stance. Frowning down his nose at the girl, he watched as she smiled as if to say: _Do you know what's beginning?_

"Do you mean it?"

He nodded. Sakura felt a lump swell rapidly in her throat as the snickers started at her back. He wouldn't accept her date then. That was understandable, she guessed. She had tried, at least. She knew that he had many other admirers in their class alone. But none of them had done as she had and simply asked for his attention. Sakura nodded slowly in return. She didn't trust her voice and would hate to hear it strain with what was building behind her eyes and inside her ribcage. No, that wouldn't do. There was no need to give the girls gathered around, whispering loudly behind their hands any more to say.

There were tears in her eyes and he...disliked it. But he stood firm. She was not going to wheedle him with her feminine display of emotion. No. He was an isle unto himself, without need for attachment. Or the complications it would bring. He had a thousand things to do to become what he needed to be. Goals and expectations reached out before him, looming indomitably. But he was determined. Even at his tender age he knew the sad reality of his life of privilege. His happiness was secondary to his success. It had to be. As she turned, shoulders slumped from their usual proud cast and walked slowly away, he stared. He watched silently and wanted to tell her: _I can't and you don't understand._

"Pathetic."

The word slipped from him as he thought of her. Years had passed and she hadn't changed. Physically perhaps she had, but not in this respect. She had trailed behind him, always at the periphery of his notice. That was a lie he told himself. He had known where she was the entire time. She had almost wordlessly become the center of his focus. Not that the accomplishment amounted to much of anything. It simply meant that he had noticed her in his own way. It gave her nothing of what she wanted.

Their relationship, if it could be labeled such, was a series of nonevents. He didn't really acknowledge her. He was simply present when she needed it most. On the occasions that the other students saw fit to terrorize her for her 'sub par' financial status, he always materialized. No words were spoken but the bullies were discouraged nonetheless. He was her not-quite hero, in his way. Sometimes she wondered if he meant to string her along with his actions. If she was some sort of amusement for him. But one look at his broad, straight back and she knew that it didn't matter. The realization came easily to her: _I can't help myself. _

"Y-yes, I was."

Yes, she had been accepted to a reputable college. A familiar flare of warmth had spread through the young woman as he approached. He had a manner about him that she had learned to read. She was not surprised when he'd spoken to her, as unusual as the occurrence was. The cast of his face as he approached and the tightness in her jaw had warned her that he would address her. It was the subject matter itself that had caught her unprepared. She'd stuttered a bit, she realized with a bit of self-depreciation. Lovely. He'd probably heard her voice ten times this whole semester, only once or twice directed to him specifically, and she had botched it.

Sasuke felt the corner of his lips turn down at her response. He was unsure what had prompted his question. They very, very rarely spoke. But a stray conversation had caught his ear some days ago. Not because her name was mentioned. That would never draw his attention solely, he told himself. But he had to know. Was she truly accepted to such a prestigious university? It was located squarely across the country from the very one he had recently decided upon. It was logical. They were perusing completely separate career paths. But, as she'd answered, a strange and unbidden emotion had welled up inside him. He'd felt words that he hadn't summoned bursting onto his tongue: _Don't go._

"You have done well for yourself."

These were the first words he'd spoken to her in years. And to her back. An interesting reversal of their previous roles, to say the least. The breech of long-forgotten decorum was worth it, he reasoned, when he caught the look on her face as she spun to see him. She lit up when her eyes landed on him. He still held sway, he realized with satisfaction, even now that she was a celebrated physician and force unto herself. He couldn't stop himself from grinning in return.

Sakura turned with such speed she was nearly embarrassed. Surely it wasn't, but that voice...It was him. Sasuke. The man she'd not-quite-forgotten over the long years she'd devoted to her career. He was still so very handsome, she thought. His eyes riveted hers and she felt something like pride as she considered him once more. When she'd last seen him he'd been an Uchiha, one of many of the great family. Now he was The Uchiha. As her smile began to strain her cheeks, she told herself: _I'm still so, so weak._

"Have you missed me?"

She tried to mask the silly question with an airy laugh, but she doubted it'd had the desired effect. It had been an attempt to make light of the fact that they'd been running into each other with almost astounding frequency in the past weeks. She'd managed to come across a bit more in the vein of conceited, however. As she winced and tried to mask it by twirling the stem of the champaign flute in her hand, she missed the meaningful look that crossed his features.

She never disappointed. Sasuke was surprised every time he found himself in her presence. Though in this case, he'd more engineered their encounter than stumbled into it. The gala they were currently attending had been hosted by his company. It had been an easy matter to assure that the esteemed Dr. Haruno was afforded an invitation. After all, he now owned controlling interest in her hospital. And, after a bit of investigation and a few calls, he had acquired an upscale loft in the complex she inhabited. He'd decided that he would not be missing Sakura. Instead he would be seeing more of her. She had subtly changed him as a young man, he realized now. He'd come to care for her despite his damnedest efforts to the contrary. But now they had both matured and made their ways in the world. They were, at last, compatible. Now he was pursuing her, he noted with a wry smirk: _Now things have changed._

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**My take on a modern time SasuSaku romance: I feel like Sasuke would manage to find a reason to keep them apart for their younger years, despite a noticible lack of clan warfare and all teh dramaz that come with it. But, alas! He would eventually succumb. :)**

**Also I like making Sasuke the subtle, Mr. CEO type without loosing all that self-sacrifice and angst that makes Sasuke...Sasuke. Haha. Oh, and this was intended to be a dialog driven piece. Fail. I'm working on it! Trying to get more dependant on spoken word v. description.**

**CT is being worked on. No concrete update projection. Sorry.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	13. Accusations

**Accusations**

Sasuke watched Sakura with a mix of exasperation and practiced patience. She was working diligently on a mighty pile of course work, ball point pen flicking along as her face creased in concentration and thought.

He tapped his fingers as he watched the steam roll off of the rapidly cooling hot cocoa he had brought her. Per her request, of course. He had settled himself across from her at their usual spot in the coffee shop moments ago and she had yet to acknowledge him.

Eventually she swung one of her feet, dangling from the high chair of the cafe-style table, in agitation. Mentally preparing himself for the question that he was sure was coming, Sasuke waited.

"What's three thousand, four hundred...and one point five five?" She asked without glancing up from her work, pen still scribbling other calculations in the margins.

A narrowing of his eyes betrayed that Sasuke was computing the equation just before he replied, "Five, two..." He waited as she wrote the first two digits before finishing, "Seven, zero." He relayed the numerical list rather than the larger, single word because he knew it would only cramp her thought process. Which would earn him a frown. Something he didn't particularly relish being on the receiving end of, especially when she was hacking away at her mathematical work.

Rather than make _that _particular point, Sasuke extended his index finger to prod the hot cup he'd delivered as he sat down. "I brought your drink."

Eyes still glued to her page of computations, Sakura reached blindly for the beverage. Once her slim hand wrapped around the toasty surface of the disposable container, a wide grin began to form. Green eyes met Sasuke's darker ones at last.

Raising a brow and smirking a bit, he wryly greeted her. "Hello."

Laughing softly, Sakura's smile grew as she responded in kind. "Hey." Her unoccupied hand dropped her pen to the tabletop and found the edge of her dark cardigan, pulling it a bit more firmly about herself.

Sasuke watched quietly, the curve of his lips remaining as she sipped at her cocoa. The rich smell carried across the small distance between them and he simply absorbed the scene rather than interrupt it with chatter. Her hair was slipping from her messy french braid in several places to frame her small face and her reading glasses were slipping down her nose in a way that made her seem younger than she was. And tired.

A sigh slipped from him as he reasoned, "We could reschedule." Gesturing to the thick packet of work she'd been scribbling away upon, he added, "You're busy. I won't hold you to what we decided earlier."

Sakura's rapidly dropped brows told him she disagreed before she could politely finish her sip. When she was able, she volleyed, "No! No. I just finished up the things that will be due in the next couple of days." Settling the cup back onto the table, she grabbed up the pile and flashed the heavily annotated pages past him to indicate her point. As she tapped them back into order, she said decisively, "We deserve a normal evening out. Let's go. Wherever!"

Sasuke watched for any flickers of a bluff as she adjusted her glasses in a thoughtless, almost prim manner. When he saw none he nodded. "Dinner then?"

"And a movie!" She chirped in response as she tucked the completed work into her heavily loaded messenger bag. "The works! We'll even have a nice walk afterward."

Shoving the rolled sleeves of his shirt up his forearms as he stood, Sasuke collected her pack from her before she could sling it over her shoulder. He ignored her weak protest as she hopped down from the high stool she'd been perched upon and asked, "What do you want to see?"

"Whatever you'd like. Guts, explosions, knock yourself out! I owe you for cancelling the last two times." She patted his arm in mock consolation as she recalled their neglected prior arrangements.

Sasuke felt his mouth curl at one corner as he anticipated riling the young woman who had turned from him to grab her cup of cocoa. "Three."

The huff he expected met his ears as they stepped out into the late winter chill. "Two, three, either way! You pick the movie."

"And where we take our walk?" He asked just to be particular as he grasped her elbow to steer her around a rather large puddle she was not going to notice, half-heartedly scowling at his profile as she was. If she stepped in it she'd splash the bare tops of her feet. Why did she wear the strange, flat little shoes she was currently stomping about in, anyway? He thought they were horribly impractical.

She flipped her hands in an impatient gesture she favored as she retorted, "Yes you can choose that, too. Have I mentioned your startling love for irking me yet today?"

He feigned thinking about the rhetorical question for an instant before he replied in the negative. When she sighed in over-exaggerated annoyance, he felt himself smile fully at last. Settling a hand atop her ruffled crown, he reflected.

Some had accused them of being a strange couple. Perhaps they were correct in that they were unorthodox with their spats and banter. But, Sasuke decided, their subtle sort of affection and that they seemed to be attuned to one and other made up for it. In his mind, at least. Glancing down at the green eyes that danced with hardly concealed mirth, he thought that Sakura might have agreed.

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**Something short and sweet I wrote in class today :) I think Sasuke would be one of those teasing-types, but secretly pretty good about noticing and keeping up with Sakura's little quirks. CT is coming along slowly for those who wonder, but it is being worked on as you read. A few longer and more detailed drabbles are on the way as well.**

**Thanks for reading!  
**


	14. Bad Romance

**Bad Romance**

It was a slow and painful trek home from the hospital. Sakura blinked against the tell-tale blurred vision of chakra-depletion and trudged on mulishly.

The sun sunk low, casting shadows by the time she felt her front door snick closed at her back. Resting for a moment against the cool panel, the pinkette seriously considered sinking to the floor and sleeping where she stood.

Before she could convince herself she pressed away from the tiny entryway and stumbled toward the main room of the flat. Her foggy mind failed to alert her to the nearness of a side table and she earned a nasty bruise over her hip because of it. Cursing against the throb of the oncoming blemish, Sakura tried to dredge up enough energy to obliterate the damned thing. When not so much as a spark of her usual reserve responded to her call, she was not surprised.

She frowned in frustration nonetheless and was distracted with her annoyance when the toe of one sandal caught on a scuff in the hardwood floor. This time she was ill prepared and swayed heavily into the near wall. One shoulder slammed hard into the unforgiving structure as her knees gave way and she found herself crumpled before her dulled senses could react. She vaguely heared a crash that told her she managed to take something to the floor with her but was too exhausted to care.

The last thing she registered before a complete black out is the cool, dusty surface of the floor under her cheek.

It might have been minutes or hours or days later when the sound of rain and a deep, pithy curse woke her. Something wet and cold was pelting the upturned side of her face and she could have sworn she heard a man's voice.

Squinting hard and trying to work past the sleep that deadened her limbs, Sakura began to stir.

Well above her prone position, Sasuke was glowering. His dark eyes flitted over the scene he had come upon with something between disgust and guilt. Sakura was sprawled in the leeway between her main room and bedroom, her deep pink locks haloed against the pale flooring. Nearby the remains of a lamp were shattered beneath a table that was knocked decidedly askew.

Gauging by her reaction time to his proximity to her vulnerable form, she had thoroughly drained herself. Again.

In the recent weeks, Sakura had taken to doubling and tripling her usual hospital rotations. Rather than attend the training sessions scheduled for their newly re-instated team, she had been delving into her medical work. And up until this point, Sasuke's hands had been proverbially tied.

Her life was her own, after all. She was a capable Jounin of twenty. If she wanted to separate herself from her Genin cell, it was her decision. But _this_was unacceptable.

"Annoying little _fool_," he muttered as he gathered her slowly squirming form from the hardwoods. With a bit of adjusting he managed to drop her shoes to the floor along with her medical pouch and gloves. Shifting until she slipped pliantly against his upper chest, Sasuke side-stepped the pile of discarded clothing and moved toward her sleeping quarters.

Before he had even reached the threshold into the hall, Sakura's strength returned. A deceptively soft sound rippled from her as she flexed but Sasuke was still knocked sharply from his course. Grasping the curve of her shoulder and the tucked contour of the opposite hip, the male managed to maintain a grip on the struggling Sakura.

She in turn was forced to wrap her legs about his waist for leverage. Planting one bare heel against the curve of his lower back, Sakura worked one elbow up until she could drive it into the muscle where his arm met his shoulder. She relished the burn of her overtaxed muscles as she strained more pressure into the counter to his hold.

A deep, angry grunt was all she earned as the Uchiha elected to return in kind. The tension between them was at a crescendo as he dug the fingers of the hand splayed at her hip into the soft curve, his thumb pressing into a sensitive nerve at the top of her leg.

Sakura loosed a muted warrior yell as she shifted again in Sasuke's constricting hold. "I don't want your _help!_"

She twisted until one hand was struggling to disable the numbing pinch he had on her left thigh. When her efforts proved futile she growled under her breath and flung her weight as sharply as she could to his left in an attempt to disrupt his footing.

Swaying violently under her assault, Sasuke gritted his teeth as his back met the doorframe at the crux between the main room and hall. Dark eyes glared into Sakura's gaze as he snarled, "You cannot walk."

He could hear her teeth click together and watched her lips pull back as she began to route chakra into her arms and legs. Jarring her pointedly, he reminded her, "You don't have the energy to waste."

A sound of pure feminine ire erupted from Sakura. "Then just let **go**!"

She began to struggle in earnest as the words flew from her mouth.

In the past months, she had done what she could to avoid the recently returned Uchiha to little avail. When she had taken to driving herself to exhaustion, Sasuke had begun a routine of checking in on her. Subtly, of course. Rather than waking up chilled after passing out atop the covers, she would be tucked securely beneath the coverlet. Or prepared, nutrient rich meals would make their way into the fridge, all of them ideal for reversing chakra depletion.

More recently, however, he had taken it upon himself to follow her home after late shifts. And to add additional traps to her apartment's several large windows which had been previously unguarded. Most galling, though, was his new liberty with preparing her unconscious form for bed. Rather than simply depositing her in whatever state of dress he had discovered her in as he had initially, Sakura had begun to awake in her shirt and shorts only. Her medical supplies, shoes, belt and other accessories would be arranged nearby. Maddeningly neatly.

She resented the gesture beyond words.

His pity, charity and concern were unwarranted and unwelcome so far as Sakura was concerned. She was a self-sufficient _adult_. If she wanted to be doted on and patronized, she would move back in with her parents. Sasuke's sudden worry for her wellbeing was abrasive and ill timed.

She was pulled from her thoughts when one of her flailing, thinly charged fists skimmed Sasuke's cheekbone. A dark curse spilled from the tall shinobi as he inadvertently loosened his grip on Sakura, reeling from the blow.

Dropping away from the height at which she'd been suspended, Sakura squealed as her numb leg gave way under her weight. She quickly righted her posture, shifting her bearing onto the unaffected leg and vigorously rubbing the hip joint Sasuke had disrupted to speed the bloodflow and return of feeling.

Sasuke worked his jaw experimentally to test the newly forming bruise on his cheek. Grimacing, he refocused on Sakura, noting her lopsided stance with some amusement. But before he could comment, she was in motion.

When she saw the pained scowl warp into a shallow smirk, Sakura felt her temper boil. Her weight tipped back as she twisted herself into a punishing reverse body kick.

A silent sigh escaped Sasuke as he elected to absorb the weaker-than-usual blow with one forearm. Sakura's still formidable strength resulted in what was sure to develop into a bone-deep bruise as her shin met his block with brutal efficiency. Before she could dance back from the failed strike, Sasuke snapped his arm down and clasped onto her overextended ankle. A quick tug and Sakura's sluggish reflexes were sending her to the floor. With another quicksilver motion, Sasuke had gathered a fistful of her shirt's material between her tensed shoulders.

So when Sakura opened her dread squinted eyes at last, she was hovering. Her nose was inches from the polished floorboards. Growling in mixed embarrassment and disbelief, the pinkette dropped her hands flat and wrenched herself away from Sasuke. She ignored the instant nausea her wearied body summoned with her abrupt handstand and flowed out of the awkward position with a tumbler's grace.

She agilely rose from the crouch she'd landed in and felt her hands fist at her sides as red hot frustration began to swell in her chest. Her voice was raw with the emotions as she bit out, "Leave, Sasuke. _Now_."

In a gesture more bravado than wise, the pinkette attempted to brush rudely past the looming shinobi.

Sasuke's eyes followed her angry stride with the avid eyes of a predator anticipating a chase. Allowing her to shoulder past his position in the hall he fell into step, shadowing her as she retreated into the bedroom. Once he had crossed the threshold, Sasuke shut the door firmly and awaited her response.

Whirling at the unexpected sound, Sakura felt her bottom jaw drop. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You are avoiding me." Sasuke tilted his head mockingly as he moved to stand toe-to-toe with the shorter kunoichi. "I dislike it."

A black mood fell over Sakura's previously thunderstruck expression. Her pearly teeth flashed as she prepared to tell him how little she cared for what he liked. Or for his opinion on her actions.

Before her diatribe could begin Sasuke added, "Your choices are your own." Ignoring her venomous 'damn right' and dipping into her personal space, he abruptly changed tact. "But risking your health is another matter entirely." His dark eyes traced over her heightening color as it bloomed across her cheeks with her temper. Yet he was undaunted as he pronounced, "You will cease your childish actions. Immediately."

A boiling hiss was Sakura's answer as a ripple of pure tension and ire washed over her. Beyond verbal response, the pinkette swung out a basic series of blows. A quick internal evaluation told the kunoichi that the rest she'd acquired had replenished her chakra minimally. More than enough to sustain life and interaction, but nothing near her normal levels as a highly trained kunoichi.

She was capable of waterwalking, if she was lucky. All of her higher prowess techniques were strictly off limits. Sakura felt her face scrunch in irritation an instant before her brain screeched to a complete halt.

Sasuke had batted aside her watery resistance and pressed his front against hers, sealing them together hip to chest and pinning her effectively against her nightstand. She could, of course, pulverize the thing without any chakra assistance with the temper that was raging in her head at present-but she had always coveted the little bit of furniture and refused to give Sasuke the satisfaction of rankling her that far.

She took a deep breath that quivered with the fluttering of the pure pique that superheated her lungs. But before her lips could form the caustic sentiments that were pooling on her tongue, a very unexpected advance arrested her plans entirely.

Sasuke's cool, firm mouth had descended onto her own.

The kiss was a personification of the Uchiha who held her, Sakura thought foggily. Calm, collected and subtly dominant. One long-fingered hand anchored itself in her hair just behind her ear to hold her _just so_.

She knew she was responding sluggishly, lips moving in a lazy mirror of his. Naturally. And did it ever feel right. It was so, so much easier than fighting the roiling attraction that had been building between them for weeks. A hot, tight welling of emotion swelled behind her ribs and she wove her fingers into the nape of his neck in response.

Sakura knew that she was at once euphoric and furious with Sasuke's actions. Since his return, since their never-should-have-been kiss he had pursued her with patient confidence. She had eluded him for some time, but she could feel his smug contentment as he zeroed his attentions onto her lower lip.

His kiss was steady. What it lacked in honed skill it made up for in fervor and persistence. Even when the overriding need to breathe broke them apart, Sasuke continued to trace her small face with short, suctioned presses. From her jaw to the corner of her gasping lips and up to the thin, sensitive skin beneath her glazed eyes. The feathering of his labored breath across her nose as he at last calmed, mouth pressed to her brow made the pinkette screw her eyes shut tight against the rush of warmth that it inspired.

The sincere affection that roared into her heart with the gesture startled Sakura from her stupor.

She could _not _do this. Not with Sasuke. Not after how she had behaved only a few short months ago. Once she would have done anything, been anyone to be the recipient of his attentions. Not any longer, she had promised herself. She was supposed to be stronger! But in an instant he had stripped away the hard work until only bumbling, desperate, _pathetic _Sakura remained.

Sakura slotted her hand against the firm muscle that blanketed his chest to create the illusion of distance between them. To attempt to press him back. She felt his body begin to go rigid as he realized what she was doing. Clenching her free hand tightly as soon as she freed it from his dark hair, she avoided his burning gaze.

"Leave, Sasuke." Her voice was hoarse and her lips sensitive to the cool night air as she broke eye contact to mutter, "Please."

A low thrum sounded from his chest before he snarled, "No."

His warm, rough palms burned into her bare hips as he slipped beneath the hem of her shirt to grip her. The rasp of his thumb against her blush-warm cheek made her start as he moved to growl in her ear. "Stop fighting. Just—"

The thought was left unfinished as Sakura twisted away from his dark, kiss-roughened voice.

She had been battling the emotions their impromptu kiss had dredged up within her for months. Still she was determined, if bone-weary.

Green eyes, passion-darkened to nearly match his own met Sasuke as she whispered, "I—" Her delicately boned jaw hardened with the strength that few accredited to her as she said fiercely, "What happened was a misunderstanding. I did not intend to be so forward. Not with you."

His stunned exhale shook with his instant ire. Aristocratic features, once stained with color, drained bone white. The hooded, sooty eyes that had been smoldering an instant ago were frosty.

He remembered her sweet features peering up at him from years ago. Her tearful confession and the separation that followed rose in his mind. His promise to himself, that when he returned that it would also be to _her, _coalesced on the tip of his tongue. She did not know, he tried to reason with himself. She could not. He had never shown her—but something primal was beating at his temples, tightening his muscles.

Sakura, little Sakura with all her smiles and insurmountable persistence and patience, who had once loved him so completely…didn't want him any longer. Something shattered into a million sharp edges in his chest. A red fury filled his head as the _single_ absolute thing he had held onto disappeared with her words.

"Not with me?" His laugh was a graveled sound.

Pressure at her hip told Sakura that his hold on her was beginning to border painful as he bowed his head until he was speaking against her lips. "You _love_** me**."

It was still true. Sasuke knew it was. His eyes flickered shut as he tried to reign in whatever was overcoming him. He could still sense the intangible _something_ that emanated from her. The peace that he felt in her presence remained, despite the physical frustration that had bloomed. He had been too hasty, he realized belatedly.

He had only just returned to the newly rebuilt Konoha when he sought Sakura out. A week, he thought it had been. One filled with the whirl of hearings, sentencing and near-contentment. His clan was avenged and he was truly free for the first time since he was a child.

Something like eagerness had hounded him until he saw her coral hair shimmering in the last rays of daylight. Sasuke couldn't remember exactly what had been said. But he could remember in detail the way she froze, a disbelieving gasp escaping her.

He thought he might have been smiling when she turned. Her face had been a mask of awe and disbelief. It had occurred to him then that she had not known of his return. The entire process of exposing the Elders and reinstating him as a Konoha nin had been a strictly need-to-know affair.

She had approached him as if in a trance. Her still-so-soft hands had found his face as she breathed his name, almost fearfully. There had been a swirl of sensation and then her hitching voice as she pulled away. Tears he had at first dismissed would come to haunt him as she fled, her parting words lost to him.

In hindsight, she might have thought he was a trick of her mind. But he had prevailed. He watched over her during practices, escorted her home from her rounds at the hospital. Tolerated her alienation…but her stubbornness was beginning to become dangerous. He recalled seeing her crumpled on the floor when he arrived with dread.

Whatever had been growing between them since his return was volatile. They were passionate; rather it was in affection or defiance. It was beginning to spin out of control—to Sakura's detriment.

Temper and frustration boiled in Sasuke as he opened his eyes once more.

Sakura caught a glimpse of his onyx gaze a millisecond before his second barrage of kisses began. This time he poured every bit of longing and tension and _want_ into his actions. She could only gasp as his unsmiling mouth buried itself at the base of her throat.

What began as a laving of the small hollow became a nip. Sakura felt her head fall back helplessly in response, her every nerve alight. Her fingers strained then clenched onto the corded muscle at his shoulders as legs wrapped themselves instinctively at his waist.

He had begun to move up the column of her throat when her heels settled at the small of his back. Sakura more felt than heard the pleased sound that she earned with the motion.

Sasuke kneaded the underside of one thigh as he lifted Sakura away from the nightstand she had been perched upon. Backing blindly toward the bed, he had at last made his way to her mouth when he settled them onto the pillowy softness of the mattress.

Sakura found herself pinned beneath Sasuke's surprising weight almost instantly. She felt herself buck under the sweet pressure he was applying. It was an escape attempt, she told herself, but knew it was nothing of the sort.

_Weak_. _I am still __**so **__weak._ But she could not banish his smile from her mind's eye. She could remember so clearly the way the sun was falling in the sky behind him as he looked at her. He was home. He was home and he was safe and he was happy. Everything she had ached for, for so long was coming true.

They had both been overcome by the situation, she rationalized. The kiss had been young, weak-minded Sakura's grand reappearance. She had taken advantage of Sasuke's uncharacteristic levity. She had projected her feelings onto him in that instant and made a complete fool of herself.

_But now?_ Sakura could not logically explain what Sasuke meant by his actions now. A small ball of tearful hope began to form in her throat.

She had explained away his previous actions. Peace offerings, condolences or something like them—to ease the embarrassment she had felt after their kiss. He was a new, lighter Sasuke after all. Now that the burden had been shed, Sakura could convince herself that he was simply attempting to be a good teammate. In his own presumptuous, overbearing way.

But this—this physicality and affection that he had adopted was undeniable.

"Sakura." Her name was a groan against her skin as he tugged at her fuller, lower lip. His eyes were smudged with shadows as he repeated it again, dragging out the syllables between lingering kisses.

Burrowing her fingers into his hair, Sakura felt the last vestiges of her bruised pride fall away. At last she parted her lips and met him with equal, eager passion. She allowed him to slip into her mouth, relishing the smooth roll of his hips that the concession earned her.

Sakura felt a smile form as they broke apart to breathe. Dragging blunt fingernails across the base of his neck, she grinned as he shifted in pleasure. She shivered in return when one of his hands lazily trailed the curve of her side. As he dipped to shower more attention to her neck, Sakura propped herself onto her elbows.

Carefully raking a nail over the opposite ear and delighting in his hitched breath, Sakura pressed a chaste kiss to his lobe and reaffirmed, "I still love you, Sasuke-kun."

* * *

**A drabble to get me back into the writing groove. I'm not dead, real life and computer woes have kept me away. For the record, none of my stories are discontinued. **

**As to this piece, consider it 'canon' minus the manga's attempted murder…I didn't feel like dealing with that angst atm. **

**Basically written as a horrendously over-wordy, never-ending make out scene. Try not to search for too much plot…or logic. Oh, it was inspired when someone mentioned to me that a couple "fought sexily." Yeah. So I developed persistent!Sasuke and embarrassed!Sakura and pitted their egos against one and other. Hope you enjoyed. **

**Reviews are golden, thanks for reading. **


	15. That

What Are You So Desperate For?/That

Sakura doesn't speak of Sasuke if she can help it. Not directly, ever. And hardly again if it's simply an allusion or an answer to a direct question. So when he's staring her in the face with nothing but hate and madness, she is at a loss.

She has never really had a drop of closure or anything approaching it when it comes to _him_. Naruto just makes promises. Ino scoffs that she should forget him. Shishou just smiles so, _so _sadly and knowingly. So she shies away from that corner of her mind still so firmly devoted to _him_. Because there is always _that_. That night and all that she said and his simple, fucking cryptic response.

Once she was tiny and ineffective and a little absent-minded. Always, always smart in the least useful sense. Far behind and unconcerned with improvement. Actively chasing _him_ and boldly proclaiming_ that _feeling she had for him to anyone who would listen.

And once he was dark and broody and present, if always a little aloof. Always, always strong. Miles ahead maybe, but within sight. Calmly listening to her inane blabbing and smirking at Naruto's shortcomings.

But now? Now he's _nothing_ of what he was before.

Standing at the edge of what feels like forever after, she realizes. That in this moment. . .the years have slipped like sand in a sieve. Like the eternity of training and learning to be _worth a damn_ has condensed and raced toward _this_.

To a microcosm. A fulcrum point.

Sakura is standing on a bridge, staring down all that's left of the love of her life. It's faint, but growing. This sense that this is _it_. The moment that will change everything. Something is going to be said or done to shift all that _is _to what _will be_. But despite the niggling premonition, Sakura is floored when he speaks first.

His pearly canines flash as he hisses, "What do you want, Sakura?" His black-void eyes are burning a trail over her features.

She's listening to the sound of her name in his voice for the first time in years. Picking apart what sounds like so many compounded emotions that his tone is rendered flat by their very weight, Sakura is struck silent.

He's watching as rain breaks loose over their heads. Rivulets are creeping through the valleys of her new, no-longer-girl-aged face-when he speaks again. His tone is flat as he strikes at the yearning in her expression with callous ease. "What are you so desperate for?"

And like that, Sakura is flayed open. Every thought she's refused to think since _that _night comes racing. Sasuke, knowing her, also managed to ask not only what brought her but what she _wants_ of this. He's thorough like that.

Sakura is poleaxed and unfocused. What is she desperate for?

_A beautiful moment of clarity rather than all this hate and anger and confusion stuffing my lungs and strangling my chest. A full, anxiety-free breath. _

_I'm desperate trying to convince myself I can still trust you. That you're still the boy I knew deep down somewhere. I'm desperate for a hint that you're redeemable. That we can save you. That you even want us to try. _

_For you to see me. How I've grown. I'm here! I made it back to you after you left. ME! Sakura, the useless fangirl you dismissed so easily! The girl you abandoned! I used to mean something to you! Something! _

_I'm desperate for the team they promised me when we graduated. For the bonds that you hate so fucking much. For you to look at me without all that hate for the village that I love. _

But among all the skittering thoughts in her mind, it is this that Sakura stutters: "I-I want you to care." Her green eyes are hardening as she finds her footing at last in this confrontation. "Acknowledge the bonds we all share!"

Sakura knows he is mad when he laughs. Apathetic Sasuke throws back his head and looses shoulder-shaking mirth that sends a sharp-edged chill down her spine.

"Bonds?" His eyes are careening red and black and madness when he spits, "Bonds? This is what is left of all that was between us."

And with a flash of steel and rain, their fight begins.

Because, with Team Seven, _care_ just means waiting faithfully to die. Kakashi _cares_ so he'll go to his grave saving his children from each other. Just like Naruto _cares _enough to drive himself to an early end training, will battle to the bitter end to fulfill that damned oath. Sasuke, because he _cares_ will annihilate every connection he ever forged, will throw away his life for the bottomless hate that orphaned him.

Their _care_ makes them something greater than the sum of their parts. Adds some inexplicable impetus to propel them into greatness. Sakura's _care _was once not unlike theirs.

But now? It cripples her. It ties her clever tongue, ladens her powerful limbs and breaks down her indomitable spirit. Her heart is too full of _that _feeling to be so cold as she need be.

Yet Sakura regrets nothing that she feels for Sasuke. It may make her _less_ than a perfect kunoichi. Might mean her death, may cost another's. . .but she, like Naruto, cannot forsake her precious person.

As Sasuke grips her neck in a bruising hold, Sakura realizes. This microcosm, this instant is the turning point. Her love has become her greatest flaw. It is no longer the fuel behind her tremendous improvement. Now it is the fatal weakness, the chink in the armor Tsunade has beat into her muscle memory.

She smiles sadly at Sasuke in the instant before reinforcements arrive. Staring down his strong arm to the face bathed in an insanity rooted in blood and anger, Sakura knows that she has fallen. Her bonds have done the very thing Sasuke so feared. She would willingly lie down and die for or with him. Monstrous strength and miracle hands and _sofuckingmuch_ training ebb away in the vastness of her _care_ for him.

_Fool_, she thinks affectionately. _It is you who is so desperate. Always running, afraid. I simply love you and wait for you to do the same._

* * *

_This has a companion piece coming from Sasuke POV, under the prompt Protect(or) that I lurve a little. :D _

_Piece written for SSmonth at LJ! Check it out! Brilliant idea guys! Love it! _

_Reviews are golden. _


	16. Wait, What?

Manipulate

Since her promotion to Jounin, Sakura found that moments of relaxation were few and far between. Read: non-existent, she thought miserably. Hospital shifts, training, missions and research left her a bit. . .stretched.

Squinting ineffectively at the blurring characters in front of her only intensified the headache she could feel brewing. Right beneath the bridge of her nose. _Ugh. No more annotating this dinosaur of a medical scroll, then. _ She tried to sound disappointed when she quipped mentally to herself. Sakura honestly tried.

She left the pitifully cluttered desk in her wake as she scuffled off to bed. As she slid into her cool sheets, she felt the tension in her muscles begin to melt into exhaustion. Slipping the fabric between her fingers absently, she sighed. They were that silky-soft, comforting kind of thread-bare.

Too soon, Sakura was hauling herself up from her warm cocoon to the squall of her alarm. Ten steps to the bathroom and she's shucking yesterday's clothes off all the way. Face scrunched, she tried to spare her eyes the sunlight pouring in from the east. _Stupid, stupid sun._

Forehead to the shower tile, she mentally catalogued all the things she had to cram into a twelve-hour workday. Then tacked on an addendum of all that she'llt do once she walks/drags herself/crawls on hands and knees back to her flat. Her arms are mechanically scrubbing her mop of pink hair as she scowls.

Soon enough she's stumbling to the counter and towelling, the first smile of the day cracking across her face. Her moment of utter zen is near. Time to blowdry. After an impatient initial brushing she's cranked the little beast up to full blast and is grinning like a loon. The heat on her dewy skin is heavenly.

Her too-heavy locks are lightening and the day is shaping up to be bearable. Flipping her hair to better reach the underside leads to an unpleasant surprise. One moment she's placidly using Ino's more-or-less trademark roundbrush and concentrator combo and the next she was wailing like a little girl.

A pair of very masculine feet were peeking over the threshold from the bedroom. What the hell? She dropped the hairdryer, starting violently. Momentum took its toll, pulling it from the wall roughly enough to throw sparks. The brush in her hand became a projectile almost simultaneously.

_Goddamn ANBU! Couldn't a kunoichi blowdry her hair in the privacy of her own apartment anymore? Honestly. What the fu-_

"You're summoned to the Hokage's office." Palming the hairbrush that had been flung sloppily at his head, Sasuke cut into her not-so-internal monologue. As he tossed it back to the fuming pinkette, he couldn't resist adding, "Keep your eyes open when you're flailing around and you wouldn't be so startled."

Scrambling to catch and maintain a hold on her towel-toga, Sakura was slightly late processing his comment. But when she did, she huffed missishly. "Flailing? I was blowdrying! And don't dictate to me, Sasuke! It's my apartment and I'll do as I damned well-What? What are you doing?"

For all intents and purposes, Sasuke had tuned her out. Even going so far as to walk away from her as she spoke. Ranted, whatever. He was now lingering in her bedroom, eyeing her bed with something like morbid fascination. The disorder was niggling at the shinobi, but Sakura could see the refusal to clean up after her written in his expression.

Rolling her eyes at his neat-freak tendencies, she groused, "Why are you loitering?" Rather than reply, Sasuke crossed his arms and leaned against the windowsill. Zoning out into the sunrise to ignore the messiness of her room, most likely.

_Che. Fine then._ Hooking the bathroom door with her toes, Sakura maneuvered it shut. Moments later she had finished her morning rituals and dressed.

Sasuke was still listing against the wall when she reappeared. Sakura continued toward the front door rather than ask. She knew better. It was much easier just to go about her business and let Sasuke do as he would.

Nevertheless, the pinkette was surprised to see that her squadmate planned to accompany her all the way to the Hokage's tower. Mind turning over possibilities, Sakura didn't notice a figure quickly approaching.

"Haruno-san!"

The young medic scanned the bustle of the main street. Who had-? A subtle shift from Sasuke pointed her in the right direction. _Oh. It's too early for all of this. _

Pasting on a sunny smile, Sakura replied: "Kaede-san! How nice to see you this morning! How is your hip feeling today? Your next appointment isn't for-"

The elderly shopkeeper just waved a hand at the polite smalltalk, pale eyes locked on Sasuke. Her tone was firm as she made her opening volley. "And who is this, young lady?" Without allowing the flustered pinkette to reply, Kaede continued. "I thought you were too busy for a young man's attention. But not to busy for a nice stroll with this Uchiha boy. Just for my grandson, hmm?"

Sputtering, Sakura rallied slightly. "He's not a-I mean he's not my-"

"I am escorting Haruno to the Hokage Tower. She has official business with the Godaime, ma'am." Sasuke did not appear the least bit rattled as he at once derailed the woman's badgering and extracted them from the situation. Of course not.

Kaede just muttered a terse goodbye and scuttled off, grumbling.

Watching the crotchety woman disappear, Sakura scrubbed a hand through her hair. Dark eyes watched in veiled amusement and Sakura caught the look on Sasuke's face. "She's awful. I'm her primary medic at the hospital. She's convinced I'm meant for her grandson. I tried, finally. Half out of respect for the kind offer and half so she'd leave me be. It wasn't great."

A snort was all Sakura really expected so she was surprised when Sasuke pursued the topic. "Is he a civilian?"

Sakura hummed a negative reply, already sidetracked by a nearby store's advertisement. She needed to let Ino-pig know that the shoes they'd been drooling over were going on sale.

"His name."

Frowning and refocusing on Sasuke's line of questioning, Sakura shrugged. "Yosei? Yoshi? Yohei? Something like that. Why?"

Sasuke ignored her question and kept walking.

_Awkward._ Sakura had been juggling a rather lot of this weird behavior from her male teammates lately. Ino had finally coerced the medic into "dating around." The whole concept was making an undue stir with her overprotective squad.

Sasuke simply shoved his hands into his pockets, nodding shallowly to himself. Sakura assumed he was doing a little mental math, judging by the creasing of his brow. Probably trying to figure when she'd managed to go out without he, Kakashi or Naruto noticing. Then subsequently stalking and/or sabotaging.

It had been a Tuesday while Naruto was out of town on a mission with Kakashi. Conveniently, it had been the first Tuesday of the month as well. That meant that Sasuke had been preoccupied with clan affairs all evening. Not that she had scheduled around them. _ It had just...mostly fell that way._

_Okay that's a lie_, she admitted to herself. But you could only shoulder so many Looks from Sasuke or lectures from Kakashi or bellows from Naruto before a kunoichi had to get sneaky.

Sakura was distracted when they finally made it to the Tower. So much so that she forgot to thank Sasuke for holding the door and only managed a vague sort of wave at Shizune.

Tsunade didn't waste time, however. Rather she decided to focus her pupil's attention by dropping a bombshell. "You've got a genin team." Tossing the horrified kunoichi a thick scroll, the Sannin levelled Sasuke a glassy stare.

Before the smirking Uchiha could make a comment, Tsunade barked, "And you, Sasuke, are going to help her." The furious look that followed didn't phase her. "One of your clansmen is on the squad. You'll be training him and assisting Sakura."

"That's ridiculous. You cannot just assign me to a genin."

Sakura could see Sasuke's further complaints and denials building. He was an ANBU, afterall. Tsunade was up to something, the pinkette was sure. Unfortunately, the Uchiha didn't know something fundamental to arguing with the Godaime. . .

"Oh." Tsunade staggered to her feet, propping herself against her sake bottle when she wavered. Her toffee colored eyes flashed and she taunted, "I can't, hmm?"

Sakura winced on Sasuke's behalf. The Hokage was reaching for paper now. Any chance the squadmates had of wriggling out of the assignment was fading fast.

Tsunade bit her lip, scrawling messily onto the back of a discarded mission scroll. Scooping up the resulting note to herself, she nodded happily. Something like spiteful glee came over the Sannin as she giggled, burped then bellowed for her assistant.

"Shizune!" When she popped her head into the office, Tsunade chucked the scroll. "Take this for safekeeping. Remind me tomorrow not to take any complaints logged by Sasuke Uchiha regarding his assignments, too."

Once the assistant disappeared, Tsunade collapsed back to her desk. "Can't assign you a mission, hmm? Hic, you're both expected by your new team at noon. Dismissed."

It was a tense and silent walk out of the Godaime's chamber. Finally Sakura decided to hedge, "Well, at least it's temporary. I mean, genin-team assignments were months ago and you're...ah, overqualified. Their real sensei must be on a prolonged mission."

When the fiercely scowling Uchiha still said nothing, Sakura sighed. "Right. Well, she wrote down that she assigned this. So it's a bit of a pride thing for her now since you...um, because..." She bit her lip as the thought trailed off. _ Way to go, Sakura old girl. Throw his insubordination and the shitty mission he just got saddled with back in his face._ Rather than finish the sentence she'd foolishly begun, Sakura coughed awkwardly into her fist.

Before she could dig herself any deeper, Sasuke cut in. "I'll take the scroll and review. You have hospital duty in ten minutes. Meet me at Shushuya by eleven." With that, he disappeared in a blur of speed.

Sakura stood blinking at the place Sasuke had disappeared from for a moment. _That might have gone worse, right? _Deflating a bit, she levelled with herself. _No, probably not. That was pretty rough._

The pinkette blew a slow breath that ruffled her fringe. Her beleaguered expression must have clung because when she reached the hospital, the floor nurses all sent her pitying looks. They were all "poor dear" comments and spouted endless suggestions about cutting back her hours or bowing out of active mission duty. In fact, they were even more helpful than usual in streamlining her rounds.

Which is why, by ten thirty, Sakura was standing awkwardly outside of Shushuya. She couldn't decide if loitering creepily was better or worse than walking in and waiting for Sasuke. Then fate intervened in the form of an ungodly commotion.

A squeal was her only warning before a genin team streaked down the street, in hot pursuit of a furry blur. There was chaos momentarily as three short, but boisterous young ninja bulldozed their way through lunchtime foottraffic. The maelstrom subsided at last when the feline target skittered down an alleyway. Only once the screeching, disorganized team disappeared after the renegade pet did Sakura see their haggard jounin teacher stringing along behind.

One look at the poor man's dazed, frustrated expression sent Sakura trotting toward the pub. She was definitelygoing to order a round or five before noon. The medic ducked into the cool, subdued atmosphere of the upscale restaurant with a pleased sigh.

It was one of her favorite places in the village. The drink menu was excellent, as was the food. The decor was tasteful and quiet, perfect after a long day's work at the hospital. She and Tsunade and Shizune hunted the back booths on at least one weeknight a month.

Lately, Team Seven had taken to meeting up here as well when Naruto was away. The portion of the team not addicted to ramen appreciated the diverse offerings Shushuya presented.

Sakura felt a little smile quirk her lips. Her team was unlike any other. Green eyes darted along the bar but did not find Sasuke's familiar frame. She was ready to claim a couple of stools at the end of the row when a low voice reached her ears.

"Sakura."

Spinning to face the Uchiha, all traces of relaxation evaporated. He looked, if possible, even more frustrated than before. Not a good sign. Sakura felt her soft smile pull into a frown as she scuttled over to the booth Sasuke had chosen.

He didn't raise his eyes from the stacks of information he was pouring over as she slid into place across from him. When she helped herself to a skewer of yakitori however, he muttered distractedly, "The tare sauce is spicier than you like here. So I ordered yours plain and a second option on the side. It should be a little sweeter."

The "thanks" Sakura meant to reply with was garbled by the embarrassing amount of food stuffed into her cheeks. Swallowing, the medic was red-faced as she finally located the dipping sauce Sasuke had mentioned. _So ladylike, cramming my mouth like that. We're on a roll today. Maybe we could scratch an armpit or belch to round it off? Ugh!_

Amused, Sasuke broke his concentration at last to watch the pinkette demolish her portion of the lunch he had bought them. "Skipping meals again, then."

Sakura shrugged noncommittally offering a vague, "Been busy." His words were more statement than question anyway.

Sasuke just shoved a few of his skewers onto her side of the platter before launching into their mission details. "The squad we've been assigned is the problem team of this graduation year."

Snorting and glancing about for the waiter, Sakura quipped, "Brings back fond, fuzzy memories hearing that." Finally refocusing on Sasuke when the barman noted her and began to approach, she added, "That's what they called us, you know. We turned out okay."

Sasuke shot her a levelling look. "Right. But would you have wanted to be our sensei?"

Sakura felt her expression twist in dismay. "Remind me to buy something nice for Kakashi soon, would you? How did he stand us?"

A soft snort was the only response she got. The medic felt a smile rush onto her face, but it was short lived.

"What can I get for you, Sakura-hime?"

Blushing a little at the fond nickname the bartender had given her, Sakura began to order her favorite sake only to be interrupted.

"She will be drinking water, with lemon if you have it. We would like another five skewers, as well."

The man sobered from his doting air, nodding respectfully at the Uchiha before disappearing to place the order to the kitchen.

As Sakura rounded on him, Sasuke merely returned to his shuffling of data. "You are going to be as sober as I am for this." Finding the pages he was searching for, he passed them to the pinkette gravely.

A skim-read later and Sakura's mood had dampened considerably. Their teamwork scores were atrocious. They had the markings of raw talent too, which only made things worse. Potential made kids cocky. There were also two females, making for interesting team dynamics.

Glancing again to the snapshot of a beaming Kotone Uchiha, Sakura smiled. Sasuke would have an interesting time training her. Aiko Emi was going to be most comparable to her own ability, given her genjutsu affinity. Their third, male teammate was an unusual case. He had been a war orphan of unknown origin, adopted by Konoha civilians. Masaki Nao was his name, and it appeared he had a renowned temper.

"Which training field did you say we were meeting them in?"

Sasuke grunted characteristically. "Hn. I didn't. It's there in the file." Eyes narrowing at her placating gesture, he badgered, "Why?"

_Definitely not because I have a sake stash on Grounds Four, Nine and Twelve._ "Just getting close to time, I guess. Or are we totally ripping-off sensei's style? Should I start brainstorming awful reasons for being late?"

The arrival of her flavored water and the additional food saved Sakura from the full force of Sasuke's half-hearted glare. Smiling around another bite of chicken, she joked, "I was strolling the path of remembrance. Why, when I was a lowly genin. . ."

"Eat." Sasuke interrupted, shoving the rest of his portion as well as the newly arrived skewers toward her. "You need the energy if you've been sleeping as little as you've eaten. And you're teaching them chakra control today."

Munching happily as she was, it took Sakura a moment to cotton on to what was happening. "Oka-hey! We're in this together! No making me boring sensei with stupid breathing exercises so you can swoop in all _look at me_ with fancy jutsu lessons later!"

The expression that spread over Sasuke's face somehow managed to be both blank and exasperated. "You have superior chakra control. It should also assist in calming them at least somewhat. I will contribute evenly."

With a grumble that sounded like _you'd better_, Sakura concentrated on finishing her delicious lunch. Sasuke gathered their intel while she worked and within fifteen minutes, they were squabbling over the tab. One-sidedly, really. Because Sasuke didn't argue so much as he steamrolled. He had evidently paid more than enough long before she had even arrived. _Sneaky._

Short of shoving ryuu directly into the Uchiha's pants, Sakura's hands were proverbially tied as Sasuke herded her out of the pub. Huffing in dissatisfaction, the pinkette stuffed her cash back into her extra hip pack. _Manipulative clansmen and their stupid smooth-schmoozey charm. _

Sasuke brandished a soft power that was almost insidious in his personal dealings. On the battlefield, his swordsmanship was unparalleled. In speech, his quick wit was comparable. He could convince people that they wanted to do his bidding, rather than demanding it.

"Evil."

Sasuke shot his kunoichi squadmate a glance that read I-know-you're-talking-to-yourself-because-I'm-frustrating-you-and-I-think-it's-amusing.

Sakura was glaring at the smug bastard that was her co-best-friend-tied-with-the-village-idiot and therefore she missed just what made **the **Sasuke Uchiha pale. Slowly, the pinkette focused on just what had made her teammate freeze in place. The training ground was _on fire_.

The Uchiha girl was doing what looked suspiciously like a wardance, as if her hopping could make the already mighty flames more fierce. What could only be described as a banshee wail was belting from a tiny girl pinned in the high boughs of one of the scorched trees. A lone male was lying, muttering to himself, some distance from the madness.

Without a word, Sakura spun on her heel and strode away.

More frustration than she could remember being there in ages strained Sasuke's voice as he growled, "Where are you going, Sakura?"

"Grounds Four! It's closest and I have a sake stash there!"

He made no move to stop the pinkette. In fact, as he jumped in to smother the blaze his clansman had begun, Sasuke might have grumbled, "Bring all of it."

* * *

TBC. Moar Yet-Unnamed-Genin-Team cuteness and terror next time! :D

Written for LJ's fab SSmonth, check it out!

Reviews are golden.


	17. When Hell Is Full

Change / When Hell Is Full

The hospital was a bloodbath.

Wails of mauled victims rose along with the animal screams of Turned until the sound was a physical throb. The stench of decay and offal was heavy. So much so that Sakura gagged as she carefully cracked the door open to the hall.

Her eyes watered as the smell reached her at full force. Even with the cloth napkin bandanna and glamour scarf she had knotted over the lower half of her face, it was almost unbearable. Breathing shallowly, the rosette woman conquered her stomach's upset and inched carefully forward.

Crouched so low that her body was hunched over her knees and her fingers skimmed the floor, the med student stayed vigilant. She winced as the cloth of her satchel shifted. Eyes darting about furiously, Sakura was relieved that she had not been detected. She was half way there.

The bag that earlier in the week had been stuffed to the brim with texts was now a conglomerate. Mr. Pockets, as she had affectionately named the thing, was now filled with general antibiotics, sterile fluids and pain meds. Primarily. Not to mention a few field suture kits and bandages and wraps. There were also rations and a single fresh teeshirt. Her florid pink Nalgene was full of water somewhere inside as well.

Enough to get out of the city, if she was lucky. But first she would have to escape the hospital. It was arguably the worst place to be in this situation. The Infected had congregated here when they were still. . .alive. Now it was a locus for the Turned.

Swallowing the rising fear and panic that was once again threatening to freeze her in her tracks, Sakura at last grasped the handle of the linens closet. She scouted one last time up and down the sickly white service corridor to be sure she wasn't followed.

In a jerky series of movements, Sakura ducked into the room, shut the door behind herself and hurriedly turned on the lights. She only just checked her instinct to scream as a body lurched toward her.

Years of defence training overpowered her impulse to cower. Her muscle memory reacted even as her mind whirled, trying to catch up. The contact of her sole against the creature's ribcage was somehow off. A retching crunch followed and as her eyes at last fully glimpsed the Turned, Sakura realized why.

It had been partially consumed, ribs flayed and body mostly hollowed by some ghastly attack. Blood and worse coated her lower leg where it had slipped into that void. Tears of fear and disgust and frustration soaked the cloth wrapped about her face as Sakura fell into a ready stance. The Turned's cracked chest oozed anew, entrails squelching as it caught itself and rallied. On its second approach, she was ready.

Her tight-fitting sneakers made the kick precise. With most of the Turned's center of mass gone, Sakura had to compensate by catching what remained. Three quick, consecutive kicks to his pelvis put him down, hard. Adrenaline tunneled her vision as her hands grasped the heaviest thing at her disposal-a metal stepstool-and battered it to a second, hopefully final, death.

When Sakura came back to herself, she was far from the thing, gathering as many sheets as she could. Still shaking hands were clumsy in knotting them, but she managed. Soon enough she was coiling her makeshift rope to lie across her chest, atop her pack.

It was probably a little ironic that she was reciting the Hippocratic Oath in an effort to centre. Of course, when the damn thing was penned, they hadn't imagined this scenario. Turned were more animal than anything else. Clenching and releasing her hands rhythmically, Sakura banished the thoughts from her mind. Distractions would get her killed. Philosophy and rationalizing were luxuries she couldn't afford just now.

She had made it this far. So far as she knew, she was the last truly living being in all of Konoha hospital. . .if not the whole city. When she had been called in to assist the overflowing trauma station, it was late on Tuesday. Stress and fear had smudged time in her mind, but Sakura was relatively sure that it was now Friday.

At some point on Wednesday, it had become apparent that the mobs forming outside the chain-link fence around the temp ER in the parking lot were fucking zombies. The police and national guard forces had herded them indoors then. Everything had gone to hell slowly, but surely.

By Thursday, the morgue in the lower levels of the facility had become a battleground. Most of the security and soldiers had thinned out by the time, late that night, patients began to rapidly Turn. The last of their defence fell, along with most of the staff. Sakura had survived by equal parts kickboxing experience, intelligence and luck.

In the tense hours since the hospital had been overrun, she had been planning and gathering. The medicine she had gathered would be invaluable outside, and she had enough non-perishable food to last for a month or so. Finally, she had the last piece for her escape: a rope.

Sakura had blockaded herself on the third floor during all of the madness. When she had finally convinced herself that she was not crazy, the med student had begun problem-solving. First, she had made a list of useful items she needed versus an inventory of what she had.

Then she had emptied her backpack and dumped what she didn't need. She had scouted out a route that wasn't overrun by accessing a maintenance corridor. All that she believed would be useful had been scavenged from her immediate area. The supplies were packed safely away now and it was time for her escape.

She needed a room with a window. Sakura had not strayed from the third floor for fear of stumbling into a mob of Turned. But now she had to venture across the main corridor of the unit, or risk the enclosed stairways. The street beyond was likely to be even more dangerous.

Rather, Sakura planned to find a room with a window overlooking an alley. By dropping onto a sidestreet, she hoped to avoid the roads clogged by abandoned cars and Turned alike. With one last check of her list, the med student swung her pack up and set out. Dropping into her half-defensive, half-wary stance was becoming natural.

As she crept down the hall, Sakura bit her lip nervously. She still hadn't been able to find a suitable weapon. The guns that the soldiers had carried were mostly spent, and seemed to only attract more Turned with their loud chatter. Scalpels were too small to be effective, while most blunt items had been too heavy or unwieldy for carrying along. Once she was on the streets, she would look for a blade or bat.

Planning relaxed her somewhat, Sakura realized. Not to the point that she was lax or unaware, it simply kept the hysteria at bay. A sound up the hall made her freeze in her tracks. Eyes open and trained on the poorly lit unit enterace, Sakura felt her stomach turn. In the flashing red light of distress sirens and the half-light of dawn pouring in from the bank of windows. . .milled a group of Turned.

They shuffled and moaned disjointedly. Some were relatively whole, Carriers that had simply fallen asleep and awoke to undeath. Others were grisly Turned, mauled into a second life, suspended in various states of gore. The mob was clustered loosely, resting by leaning against one and other as well as the walls and overturned gurneys.

Cursing foully under her breath, Sakura sank even lower on her haunches. Green eyes darted without loosing focus on the beasts. Finally in her periphery she found a door unblocked by debris. Her eyes were nearly crossed with the concentration she poured into moving silently back and left, soundlessly as she was physically able.

It was sixteen tiny, tiny steps to the room and once she was in, Sakura felt her feet slide out of her control. As close as she was to the ground, the fall made little sound. The squeak of her sneaker in whatever had downed her was the only noise. She still held the breath in her chest until her lungs ached and her throat burned. When the Turned down the hall made no response, she exhaled. Pressing the door as far shut as possible without risking closing it, Sakura refocused.

Her legs were smeared with blood. Clasping both hands over her face, the young student only just managed not to gasp. Dark, near brown stains painted her bare thighs. A clatter in the vicinity made Sakura start violently. She was on her feet when she realized the bathroom door was cracked, its surface and the floor near it smeared with blood.

Adrenaline rushed through her system as she skirted toward the window. At this point, it hardly mattered where it looked out. She was cornered. Her instincts clamored for her to escape somehow. Sakura could feel her pulse in her throat and wrists, prickles at her scalp. . .her senses were at maximum and her body was moving with confidence she didn't know she still possessed. It was like she was a spectator in her own body.

The sheet-rope was cool in her hands as she looped it over the sturdiest thing she could find nearest the window: the foot of the bed. Ten knots felt excessive, but she didn't know anything fancier than the shit they taught you when you learned to wear laced shoes and she was sosososoafraid! Her sweaty palms slipped from the window casing as she tried to find a mechanism to open it.

_FUCK! _Of course they don't open. _Ohgodohgod!_ The movement in the bathroom started again and Sakura felt frustrated tears build. Her limbs were at once weightless and pins-and-needle-filled as she grabbed a tray. It was an old hospital and they had not upgraded to plexiglass in this wing. . .she could break this. But she'd have to be out of it in the same instant or she was dead.

With a mighty swing, Sakura heard the glass blow out. Balling part of the rope and brushing the glass aside was an afterthought and her hand was split in the process. But the horrid screams that went up as the window broke kept her moving. And then she was airborne.

The rope was squeezing her injured hand and she was aware that she squealed in pain, but the thought was distant. Second in her mind to the fact that _holy shit_ she was three floors above a filthy alley. The Turned from the hospital floor she'd just escaped were hanging out the gaping hole she'd just repelled from, too stupid in their undeath to follow or cut her rope.

Hand over hand, feet pinching the knots of the sheets, Sakura made a slow descent. Halfway down, she realized that the alley was not empty. A pair of Turned, perhaps attracted by the screams of their fellows in the third floor window, shuffled into view. Freezing, halfway to the ground, Sakura began to hyperventilate.

She had made it all this way and she didn't want to die. . .a flash of something metallic at the mouth of the alley caught her eye. _What the fuck?_ Was that a sword?

The thing was moving so fast that Turned didn't have time to alert others as they fell. A black blur was all Sakura could make out of its wielder. Black choppy hair, darkwash jeans and black boots, even his leather jacket was black with a black hoodie beneath. Only a bright bloodred spray across the man's face broke the void of color.

He continued cutting a swath through anything that came near. Sakura wasn't sure if he didn't see her or if he was willfully ignoring the girl with _pink _hair hanging from a third storey window. She knew he realized something was amiss when he paused, flicking his blade free of filth, and inspected her sheet-rope. A cool, black-eyed gaze washed over her bloodied form.

Finding her voice for the first time in days, Sakura called down, "Wait!" The man casually stabbed a zombie that wondered too close without responding. He had begun to move on when she finally hit the pavement.

Glancing about for any threat, Sakura sprinted after him. "Please! I can help you! I'm a medic! I-"

"Will be silent when I say so or be left to die." He finished for her, sword at the ready as he peered out, inspecting the next street. In a mumble, he added, "Annoying."

When his dark eyes swung back to be sure she understood, Sakura nodded hard. His expression softened somewhat when she pushed down the scarves that had concealed her features. The smell was much more bearable outdoors, and they muffled her speech.

She was sure that he guessed her to be a teen. Most did. The bubblegum hair, especially swept into a high ponytail as it was, usually guaranteed it. Short-shorts, a band tee and classic Puma runners didn't help. Something told her that usefulness would get her further than doe-eyes with this man, though.

He must have read the expression on her face, because at last he muttered, "You may speak."

"I'm a med student, I can help you. I have supplies and I can fight." Biting her bottom lip, Sakura waited. As a final thought, she tacked on, "My name's Sakura."

One black brow ticked up, but the man made no further attempt to speak to her. Rather he nodded and gave her one last once over before striding out into the horde. She barely heard his voice over the screech of a Turned as she stepped with him into the fray. "I'm Sasuke."

Together they worked their way through the burning, infested city.

* * *

Haven't decided if I'll continue this yet. Next up is a Sky High AU, methinks. Then maybe Genin!Verse :D

This was for SSmonth at LJ as well! Check them out!

Reviews are awesome! Thanks for reading :)


	18. Summer

**Home / Summer**

It's a packed little port city where Sasuke sees Sakura again.

Galls are cawing and circling overhead, the streets are teeming. Sunlight is beating down and the wind is salty and fresh. The chatter of the market is amiable and the pinkette is smiling at something a merchant shouts to her as she passes.

Sasuke watches her thin, milk-pale arm as it darts up to hold her hat in place. The wind has picked up and the ribbons on the wide-brimmed straw thing are fluttering wildly. Her dress is drawn about her long legs similarly and it whips around her knees. He realizes as the light hits it that the confection is raw silk. _So feminine_, he almost grins, so Sakura.

Her signature mane has been lightened by exposure to something like icy pink. She's a bit taller but still small for her age, he thinks. Much shorter than him, of course. But that heartbreaker _Sakura_ smile is the same as it ever was. All pearly white teeth and genuine happiness.

Sasuke watches as she sways through the crowd with a lackadaisical sort of rhythm to her steps. She isn't edgy or cagey as so many of their profession can become. Nothing but her curiously honed grace suggests that she is a kunoichi. Probably an S-rank one, at that.

The Uchiha watches, amused, from his perch as she meanders the small mainstreet. A sweets shop is visited, then a kitschy bauble one and a female clothier. Sasuke can name the people she is buying gifts for before she even emerges with new bags in tow. She is achingly familiar in this context. An everliving ghost of what once was, Sasuke decides.

Her little hands are tipped in a color that might be a pale green, and her rosy hair is brushing all the way to her hips. Sasuke can tell that she is the confident one now, and isn't sure what he thinks of it. She is a confusing mix of what _was _and what _is_.

Sakura _is _as petite and fine-spun as he remembers. She _was _never this effortless, this powerful.

He knows that she is a med-nin, now. The entry they made of her in the latest bingo book was flattering and informational. Apprentice of a Sannin, admirable bounty for her age, and more. But all Sasuke can think is that from this distance she looks like a young woman out for a shopping excursion.

None of her nin-gear is visible. Her shoes are flat and silly, not at all practical, simply strappy and frivolous. Her insignia bearing headband and flak jacket are gone for now. All that's to be seen is her pretty skin and a silken white sundress. Even her expressive eyes are shaded by a pair of oversized tinted glasses.

She stops suddenly and Sasuke is standing before he realizes. Sakura is only being the flighty thing he remembers, overreacting to something she likes in a nearby shop, but he can't quite quash the leftover unease in his gut. Muttering to himself, the Uchiha drops a few bills onto the table he's been occupying. A moment later and he hops away from the rooftop teahouse that had afforded him the view of Sakura as she strolled the narrow main road of the port city.

He arrives on a railing near to her last position to see her pink head of hair, complete with its floppy hat disappear into the shop she'd been eyeing. Sasuke evaluates the storefront. It's a home interior sort of retailer, one that is pricey if the name is the one he recalls being a favorite of his mother's.

Sasuke hesitates before dropping onto street level. It's habitual to blend into the throngs of people milling about, but he knows Sakura will see him if she decides to scan the crowd. The simple reality is that she won't. She doesn't expect him here, on the seaside in a no-place town.

Sakura and most of the living residents of Konoha are not aware of the Uchiha clan's holding in the area. It was once a seaside retreat, a villa and underground storage facility, among other things. And no one but the two living Uchiha know that it will be the sight of their last confrontation.

But that is tomorrow.

For now, Sasuke is watching his pinkette former squadmate coo over ornate silver and crystal. Enormous plate glass panels line the front of the shop, and he can see her clearly. The design she is hovering around is one of large ginkgo leaves and other unusual but stately, botanical designs.

He tries to summon surprise that he doesn't detest her choice. But Sakura has always had the makings of a tasteful woman. She had simply been silly in the way all young girls are, once. The thought that she will make a good wife catches Sasuke by surprise. But it is not unwelcome or quickly dismissed.

A smirk entrenches itself into the corner of his lips. She _does_ look like a young bride in her pretty dress, fretting over furnishings for her new home. A decision is slowly made in his mind.

For the rest of Sakura's day trip to the port city, Sasuke shadows alongside. He watches her svelte form shrink into the distance toward home firm in the conviction that he will follow along soon enough. There are things yet to be finished.

But before he returns to his lodging, Sasuke returns to the decor shop. After a few slow circuits of the store, he settles on a large collection of settings and other pieces. They are dark and heavy and classic. To his taste in a way the ones left in the clan house are not. Those will be packed into display with other memories.

He doesn't think such a thing purposefully, it simply echoes through his mind tangently as he fills out a form for delivery. The set will be some of the first things to refurbish the Uchiha district. It will be a large job, he knows, but as he picks up one last item. . .he decides that he need not be alone in completing it.

Sasuke's dark eyes watch as the saleswoman carefully wraps away three pieces unique from the bulk of his purchase. It is a set of matching vases, all burnished silver. Each has intricate, but elegantly sparse floral sculpture creeping up their sides. They are simple and feminine. Something Sasuke can imagine Sakura enjoying most daily. All are from the collection she had been examining.

He waves away the woman's offer to add a card to his gift-wrapped delivery. That would be too overt. Sasuke just makes mental notes of the particular flowers on each piece as they disappear to be shipped. Some later day he'll send matching, natural ones to her from her rival's shop. Then she'll know.

Tucking his hands into his pockets and turning back toward the inn where he'd left his pack, Sasuke breathed deeply. Rather than the tension that had been plaguing him, he felt something like anticipation. As if the cloying desperation that had been dissipating with confidence and power gained had subsided at last. His mind was clear. He was ready. Eager to finish _all of this_ and live on.

It was a sunny, summer day one week later when Sasuke walked back into Konoha.

* * *

**Because sometimes I love to imagine what their lives might have been if Sasuke went, gained power, completed his revenge and returned. No madness, no ancient feuds and hate and zombie ancestors and new teams. Just Sasuke and Sakura, growing up and falling in love, eventually. Sasuke being the aggressor, of course. Sakura's done enough chasing, it's her turn to enjoy the attention! :p**

**". . .everliving ghost of what once was" is a quote form the song No One's Gonna Love You by Band of Horses. Not mine. The home furnishings are based upon Michael Aram's designs, some which I own and lurve. But are not mine, as a company.**

**Reviews are golden.**

**Also all credit for inspiration goes to SSmonth LJ, brilliant idea guys!**


	19. For Better, For Good

**Scent / Nothing at All**

He had been back for what felt like a millennium. Everything was falling back into place-all was nearly as it once was. After only a few hectic months of sentencing and reinstatement, Sasuke is a part of the Leaf. But it is years until the Leaf is once again a part of Sasuke.

It's coming back slowly, the sense that life is livable. But it's steady. His mind is unfurling from the tight, protective shell he has constructed. The correct people are _dead_ and he can think once more.

One day Sasuke is the automaton that hacked and slashed at the right moments: a thoughtless construction of muscle memory and training and fear and anger. Another and he begins to truly _see_ for the first time in years.

It is a Thursday; an unremarkable early morning in Konoha, really, when Sasuke wakes from the catatonia that has shrouded him. He is passing the same buildings in the same unhurried stride when things begin to filter into his mind, as if through a haze.

Had the same shop always been at that particular corner? No, Sasuke decides. It must have changed while he was gone. And had the street always dipped to the west? Yes, he thinks that has always been true. The village is a turbulent mix of what _was_ and new construction. It is this inconsistency, he thinks, that makes it palatable. Tolerable.

Two and a half years, Sasuke muses, and he had only just realized that war had changed things.

Suddenly deadlast has a razorsharp grin, one that doesn't _quite_ mask the mettle beneath a lighthearted veneer. The pervert is as lackadaisical as ever, but it is as if a layer of caginess has been shed from him.

And of course he has seen Sakura. Seen her, trained with her, gone on missions alongside her and spoken to her. But somewhere in those lost years that no one around him ever really wants to breach, someone has taught Sakura how to say plenty pleasantly without really telling much at all.

Sasuke assumes that it is probably her beloved shishou, politically steeped as she is. But something about all the simple, meaningless pleasantries wear on him. She can beam a smile that is close-not-quite like he remembers, but the sincerity that once soaked through everything that passed her lips has gone.

She has changed. Changed and some of it is for the better. He thinks of craters created by dainty fingers and bones set in seconds. And some not so. He thinks of her paper-thin smiles and the altered air about her.

The word _distance_ rings in his mind as he watches her approach the team's meeting place. She is not so present as she once was in some sense or another. Physically, neither she nor Naruto have missed a training session since the reinstatement. But something about Sakura is absent, nonetheless.

"Goodmorning." Is her mumbled-together, oft-used greeting. Just as the middlemost plank of the bridge, one arm wrapped about the post to her left, is her usual resting and waiting place.

Sasuke's rediscovered memories are unstirred by Saukra's commonplace actions. It is another sense, not his vision or hearing, that flares to life as she passes.

She had, in the past, always smelled a little too close to cloyingly sweet. So when the pinkette breezes by smelling of earth, no _of almonds_ he decides, Sasuke is surprised.

"You changed."

Sasuke isn't sure what pushes words past his lips. Perhaps it is the way her hair shimmers an unfamiliar, lighter shade of rose in the dim light of morning. There is a feeling growing in the Uchiha's chest that he won't name at the sight of it. _How much had time changed her without his notice? _

The pause afterward was so long that Sasuke was surprised when she _does _react.

It was a hoarse and wispy trill of a sound, her response. A bit like Sakura wanted to laugh but couldn't draw the necessary breath around whatever she was feeling. "Have I?"

Growth-green eyes weighed all of him as she sighed in something like tired resolve. "What of it?"

Her wording is contradictory to her tone, and it gives Sasuke pause. She is soft around her edges, listing against the bridge as he watches her, and the early breeze across the water lifts her hair. But the steel in her voice is unmistakable.

This Sakura is disappointable. It is a realization he reaches with surprise. She isn't the girl who hangs-upon-words and smiles-through-insult. Now she is capable and Sasuke knows that he owes her much more than what he is about to say. But his honesty and pride are at odds, and this is a beginning.

"Stronger." Sasuke enunciates slowly, for full effect. He tries not to be satisfied when her eyes light for him for the first time in an eon.

Her heart-shaped face is awash in dawn light as she slowly smiles for him.

With slow, sure steps he draws near enough to lean against the rail that supports her. Time might have never passed as Sasuke watches her. For an instant the distance and hours ebb and she could be the little girl he once knew.

The sun has risen above the trees to halo her crown like a nova. A shade that had eased into pale is alight again with pretty-girl pink and those eyes of hers are as green as ever. In the next second the wind wakes too and Sasuke is reminded. This isn't the girl he once protected from all things.

Now she smells like those lemon wedges she's forever squeezing into her ice water and something sweetly earthy that she rubs on her skin. She's capable and she's headstrong. Mature. Sakura is still here, he thinks. She has simply grown and I _see_ it now.

Two and a half years, Sasuke muses, and he had only just realized that war had changed some things _for the better_.

* * *

**Written for prompt "Scent" from LJ SSmonth! **

**Reviews make me smile, thanks for reading. **


	20. You Got the Love

**You Got the Love **

Something like a growl rumbled from Naruto as he advanced on his friend.

The tearful words Sakura had relayed to him echoed in his mind as he called out to the pale man ahead of him. "How _dare _tell her to forget about you? Don't you _dare_!"

He drew even with Sasuke when the other man paused, stock-still in the dusty street that led to the Uchiha district. They were not quite alone but Naruto couldn't find it beyond his wrath to care.

Shoving at the back of Sasuke's shoulders in a show of aggressive frustration, he bellowed, "She deserves better! Do you think she can just walk away from loving you?"

"She is young." Was the prosaic reply. "She can find someone else. _You _always-" He began, but seemed to be unable to articulate the thought.

At Sasuke's falter, Naruto pressed on doggedly, "You're it for her. I'm the friend. She cares for me. But you..." He laughed strangely, "You got the love. All of it."

The reminder of her long-standing devotion seemed to jar his poise. After a long pause, Sasuke's voice was pure venom as he hissed viciously, "I don't want it!"

Something black and cold pooled in Naruto's stomach as he watched the Uchiha stride away again. Back to his clan's grave of hatred and dust and the memories that were smothering him. He could not stop himself from muttering, "Coward."

Sasuke wouldn't stop walking but Naruto shouted until his voice broke. "You think you can hide forever? What are you so afraid of, huh? That maybe she's what you need? That maybe you love her too?"

Something in the last accusation made the Uchiha symbol on Sasuke's back jerk. In a tone harder and more jaded than a man his age should be able, Sasuke levelled, "It all amounts to nothing."

Naruto, who had begun to follow behind, caught the low response. Fury leaped up anew at the words. "Nothing? Her love is nothing?" Grasping Sasuke's shoulder and spinning the taller male to face him, Naruto delivered a crushing blow. "_Love _saved your life more than once! We brought you back for it. Itachi spared you for it. He-"

"_Shut up_." The words were spoken with such quiet malice that Naruto knew he hadmade his impression. What stood to be seen was rather or not the reaction was the one he had aimed for.

Emotion roiled over Sasuke's face for an instant before draining abruptly to leave a pale mask of stoicism. At length, he spoke in a hollow timbre. "Love is loss. I have lost _enough._"

An inarticulate shout burst from Naruto as he tossed his hands into the air. "_**LIAR**_! You won't loose her! You TRIED! You know she loves you! She ALWAYS loved you! She could HELP you, Moron! She could SAVE y-"

Sasuke's voice cut in with a chill that permeated the air between them. "And _what _have I ever said or done to make you believe that I want to be saved? Helped?" A dry, acidic laugh fell from the Uchiha's mirthless lips. "I want _nothing_." His open palm sliced through the space between them in a terse, horizontal line as he snarled the last word.

Naruto's voice was just a breath above a whisper when he spoke in return. "You selfish bastard."

The words were dragged out and loaned a gravity that Sasuke had not expected from the often emotional and hasty Naruto. The simple insult told volumes of what the blond saw in Sasuke's decision. It told Sasuke that Naruto knew Sakura as well if not better than he and it made something behind his ribs pinch.

"If you _ever_ cared for us. Either Sakura or me, you won't do this." The sentences were clipped with a steel that Naruto usually hid under layers of studied nonchalance and humor. But now his flinty intelligence shone in his blue, blue eyes as he bared exactly what Sasuke was choosing to do. Forcing the man to confront the issue and its rammifications.

"You won't walk away from that girl. You won't throw the love she's had for you since we were _children _back in her face. You won't humiliate her for your pride and for your fear. You will _not _make me watch her waste away afterward." The very air seemed to still. "If we _ever _meant a damn thing to you, bastard, choose her and not your hate."

Naruto's expression twisted under the weight of his anxiety and grief for their female teammate. "Don't make me watch her cry again." His voice wavered at last from its stony growl, "I can't do it anymore. I can't _watch _and be able to do_ nothing_."

The powerful shinobi's eyes were glassy as he finished his mixed diatribe and plea and confession. His hands shook as he kept his gaze locked on Sasuke's. But the Uchiha was totally blank. Unreadable.

The darker of the pair weathered the verbal abuse without any visible change in demeanor. But when Naruto quieted, he replied, "Console her, then. She can love _you_."

A sharp sound of unfathomable disgust wrenched from Naruto as he tossed his head in disbelief. "You really don't get it. Or you really don't care." A rude sound burst from him as he spat, "No. You understand perfectly well, I think. And maybe you care, but it's for yourself. It has to be. You just want to die a hateful imitation of the teammate we cared for, you pathetic-"

A pithy curse tore from Sasuke as he demanded, "Have you ever considered that I may have cared too much once?" Onyx eyes burned with something primordial as he felt every muscle in his body knot under strain. "I _cannot_ do it again, Naruto."

Naruto's face could only be called feral as he countered, "No, Sasuke. You _won't. _And she should hate you for it. But she won't and never will. _She can't. _But you refuse to see it!"

The hurtful allegations continued to pour from the red-faced Naruto. But Sasuke heard none of it. He was turned inward and all he could hear was white noise as soundless memories raced through his mind. Full of a fey-featured girl soaked in sunshine. Laced with the love she had borne him through every trial he had faced and failed.

He thought of his anger. Of his grief. He thought of her unhappiness. Of her love. He weighed everything against the battered remnants of his heart and considered. He considered just what it was that he was afraid to loose. And at last he found that nameless fear _lacking_. It was not worth half so much as what she gave him freely.

He was unaware of how long he stood, remembering and rationalizing. But when at last his mind settled, Naruto was gone. Sasuke was alone on the street late on a moonless night when he made his decision. When he turned his back on the lane that led to the Uchiha clan grounds to pace slowly toward his destination.

Toward Sakura.

* * *

**Another attempt to work on my dialog to description ratio. It's more implied SasuSaku than the other pieces here but the implication **_**is **_**pretty heavy. Title pulled from Florence and the Machine's cover, "You Got the Love" which has a permanent place on my writing playlist. **

**Written for SSmonth LJ! **

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are lurvely! **


	21. Protector

**Protect(or)**

Sasuke doesn't think of her if he can help it.

But when he sees her again after so_fucking_long he can't stop. Can't control the flood of thoughts beating against his skull at the sight of her.

She's still all cotton candy mane and apple green eyes and white sugar skin, she's so sweet its almost cloying and he thinks: I am not the boy who was once your protector.

The thought is almost accusatory. Sasuke feels himself thinking it _at_ her so hard it furrows his brow to a frown. Like he wants to shoot her down, keep her from making him choose. If he can crush the thought before it forms, that hope will wink out and he won't have to stand aside while harm comes to her.

Maybe it will batter and bruise those worn-on-her-sleeve emotions and he won't have to hurt her himself. Because if she makes him choose between her and his revenge, she will lose. He won't apologize. She can't understand this anymore than dead-last can.

Because she didn't see mother's warm eyes fade. She didn't see cold, apathetic father's last ditch attempt to protect his wife _with his own body _frozen forever in death. No, she didn't feel the blood of her brother drip down her brow and feel _victory _only to _break _as that pride and accomplishment soured to something like unfathomable _regret_. She didn't see it and she didn't feel it and she couldn't comprehend this rending, consuming _hate_ that is so thick he can hardly breathe.

But maybe, just maybe he can head her off. Maybe he can pain her emotionally before he has to hurt her physically.

It goes _mostly _unthought that, mad as he may be, he would never come back from hurting her. Even his blackest instinct shies from the thought of cherry red marring her pretty-girl skin.

In the end that means nothing. Hesitation does not equal inaction. He could do it. The thought makes him want to choke. But it does not change the fact.

He knows in his deep, darkest of hearts that he could snuff out that light in those eyes. It's so sick and so alien that he thinks that _maybe_ if he had known then what he has become now, he might have never left. Sasuke doesn't want to imagine what his younger counterpart might have thought of this. This state of affairs he has created, state of mind he has found, fathomless falling he has undergone.

He wants to hiss and spit at that psuedo-innocent-by-comparison self of his. The one that would recoil at the thought of hurting _Sakura._ Sakura with the oh-so-_green_ eyes that are honest in their adoration and hands that are ever-so-soft in their weakness. That little thing that he was always shielding and toughening up the only way he knew how.

But now? Now his noble intentions are long dead. Dead and rotted and _gone_. Gone like these girlish proclamations should be. Gone like she should be. Gone far, far away in the little bubble-reality that keeps her sane and _good_.

Instead she's here, before him. Or his remnants. Whatever this thing is he is operating now that _nothing _makes sense anymore and old goals are failures in disguise. He knows she's looking into his mania-drenched corpse-eyes and wondering if the boy she knew was still there, somewhere.

He sees the instant she decides that _Sasuke-kun_ is no where to be found. A sort of devastating realization blankets those fine-spun features of hers. _She's so tragic,_ Sasuke cannot stop himself from thinking, in that instant it is without scorn that he sees her love for him.

She's not crying yet but she's getting there. Sakura is trying very hard not to be the delicate, erring thing he once knew. She's shouldering what looks like the world, but is more likely a resolution to kill him.

If he were capable anymore, Sasuke might have found it in himself to regret. Regret that it had come to this between them. That they must stand here, staring at strangers with the faces of memories,with hands poised for murder.

_You fool_, he thinks. _You fool_, _I tried to tell you!_ He had. At the cost of something that was likely his soul, he had found the power he had never denied coveting. This was the result. She had chased him down to see what had come of it all. And for what?

It had been a damned marked effort he had made-to break this bond. To make her hate him.

Maybe, he realizes, that had been his last and greatest gesture as her protector. Or it will be, for he intends to finish it now. She _will_ hate him. She _must_.

Because _nothing_ feels like this moment. This reality: where he has to _watch_; to break her love for him with violence. This is one thing he had tried his damnedest to avoid. Truly, if his well of emotions had not run dry, Sasuke might have called the phantom lurch in his gut _pity-laced sorrow dipped in regret shot-through with resignation_.

Now she's glaring at him with eyes that are aflame with something like this: _Can't you see? Can't you see I'm strong now?_

But he just watches blankly, never saying this: _It all amounts to nothing, still. Can't _you _see? Or won't you?_

Then her eyes, pouring say: _You've done what you've always wanted! You embittered me to you!_

Sasuke is no stranger to a hollow victory. But he silently screams, _Then, foolish little girl, I've saved you one last time! _

Because Sakura doesn't know. She doesn't know because Sasuke won't tell his long-kept secret, his ancillary purpose for abandoning the Leaf. Bond breaking. Those insidious, vaporous things that lay low the strongest nin had to be obliterated.

They might have hindered him, might have killed his teammates for his sake. The repercussions were endless and have disturbing echoes in his past. He had seen what bonds could do. How they could destroy.

Sasuke never told Sakura that mother was a jounin. That she was a more-than-capable kunoichi and it hadn't mattered a _single fucking bit _when Itachi came to reap her soul. Because beautiful mother _loved _her firstborn and it had been the end of her. Her bonds had held her immobile, ineffective. _Disbelieving._

So when Sakura's eyes are blazing and she's charging up her fists, Sasuke is not proud. He is not impressed. He is angry. Angry that even this new, more powerful Sakura would have still fallen prey to the same damnable trap that once killed everything he loved.

He cannot know how alike his beloved brother he is as he thinks, _That's it. Hate me. Hate me and fight me and don't you _dare_ die for my sake!_

Because Sasuke is not the boy she once loved, but he protects her still.

* * *

**This is the continuation of Chapter 15 'That' for the prompt 'What are you desperate for?' from Sasuke's POV. The prompt for this one is 'Protect(or)' and is just as angsty. Written for LJ's SSmonth.**

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are golden :)**


	22. Glitter Freeze

**NOTE: Excessive cursing, alcohol use/abuse and other debauchery abounds below. Read ahead only if these themes do not offend. Thanks.**

**Glitter Freeze**

Naruto sang along with the radio as he sloshed another two fingers of whiskey into his tumbler. "Love this fucking song."

Flopping onto the bench seat of the bus' common room, he glanced toward his head body guard. "Wait!" The blond drew an invisible line between the quiet man and the general direction of the speaker system. He seemed to recall something suddenly, his face lighting up. "Oh right! You and-" Naruto waved toward the radio to illustrate his meaning.

Sasuke just shook his head, hoping to cut the conversation off before it began.

"C'mon, man! You gotta tell me, what was she like?" At Sasuke's cross look, Naruto blithely insisted. "You worked her security detail, too, right? Before mine."

Scanning the half-buzzed blond rockstar with a blank look, Sasuke shrugged. "Sure."

A flicker of emotion in the darker man's face caught Naruto's attention. His curiosity doubled. "So, what was she like?"

The bitter oak flavor of bourbon rolled over his tongue as he absorbed the question. Kicking booted feet onto the tour bus' low table, Sasuke refilled his glass and said slowly, "Lonely."

A quiet fell over the two men for a moment until Naruto shifted. Nodding, in effort to lighten the mood, he quipped, "S'lonely at the top. And she _is_ running the pop game." A million-dollar grin broke across his face. "Gorgeous girl, though. Amazing set of pipes, too." Gesturing mostly to himself, he trailed off awkwardly, "Got the deeper sort of voice, kinda soul-thing going. . ."

Sasuke just nodded silently, staring into his drink. Its effect was fizzling in his veins and he could feel a bad decision coming on.

Naruto, who had been drinking more heavily, suddenly bolted up. "You have her number, right? We should call her! I wanna do a collab an' I been meaning to tell the old man but-"

"No." Still not looking his employer in the eye, Sasuke reasoned, "She's not the person you need to talk to anyway. Tsunade's her manager's name. Have Kakashi get a hold of her when you're both sober."

The rocker had visibly deflated, but agreed with the logic. Still pouting, Naruto asked, "But if we, like. . .run into her at an event or somethin' you'll introduce me, right?"

Distractedly, Sasuke agreed. "Right." He only vaguely heard Naruto excuse himself to 'piss and crash,' focused instead on the weight of the cell in his pocket.

The sleek little phone fit into his palm obligingly when he fished it out. Just like it gleamed beetle-black on the coffee table in the low light of the cabin when he tossed it away. Glaring out at the road as it slipped past the windows, Sasuke wondered where on the globe she was tonight.

He was irritated that the answer popped instantly to his mind. Her schedule might have come up with her new team. Passing conversation, he told himself. Not like he'd been listening for something about her. Not that he cared.

Slugging the last of his alcohol and catching a fat ice cube between his teeth, Sasuke set the glass aside and grabbed the phone. He scrolled through his contacts moodily, staring at them one after another as he neared the position on the list where her number would be stored.

Not that it was necessary, he thought as he stared down at her picture. The numbers scrawled out beside her smiling face were ingrained in his head. He had been giving himself a chance to back out, a minute to breathe and think before he dialed.

Her bright eyes beamed up at him from the screen, the makeup they'd caked around her eyes sparkling in the colored-sugar way she loved. She was so goddamn pretty.

Sasuke sucked hard on the ice chip he had been clicking against the back of his teeth before crunching it. Fuck it, he thought, he wanted to hear her voice. His thumb moved without a conscious thought and the phone was against his ear and ringing before he could kill the impulse.

Bass and the crush of too many voices poured into Sasuke's ear when she picked up. "-llo? Shh! I'm tryin' to-" She cut out for a second and he could hear her giggle.

There was a rustle, as if the phone had been snatched and a new voice came over the line. "Oh no you fucking didn't just call this number."

Sasuke snarled, "Ino, you fucking harpy, put her back on. I didn't call because I missed that screeching goddamn voice of yours."

The tipsy heiress sucked in a deep breath, preparing what was surely a glorious and curse-studded rant. But before she could unleash it, the phone was stolen back again.

At the soft, "Sasuke? Is it you?" he felt himself sigh. "Yeah. It's me." The background music was fainter now, as if she had holed up in a backroom. He couldn't stop himself from asking, "Are you out?"

She faltered before mumbling, "I-yeah. I, um, we went out." He could almost see her rubbing her arms, fidgeting as she explained. "After the show, all the crew. I just played The Garden, sold it out."

Sasuke felt his lips kick up at the corners. "Of course you did."

Encouraged by his good mood, she became more animated. Her voice lilted up, a laugh in her voice as she described the glitter cannons and pyrotechnics. A drunken hiccup interrupted her train of thought.

For a moment, she tried to recapture what she'd been saying. When she couldn't recall, she instead hummed airily. "God, I-haha, I can't remember what else. But it was gor-um, beautiful! You schould, should come to a show soon, Sasuke. I'd. . .I'd like that."

Sasuke sat back and closed his eyes, as if in pain. Pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead, he skirted the invitation. "Sakura, how much have you had?"

"Had of what? I'm just-you know, out." Her voice sped up, getting higher and angrier. "I'm out and having fun, okay? It's not a big deal!"

"Sakura-"

"No! Don't do that! I hate when you-"

"Do what? Look out for you? Who's there with you? Yamanaka and who of the security detail?"

"I don't fucking know, Sasuke! I don't care! I'm just out, having some fun! Stop worrying!"

Sasuke felt his muscles tense rapidly. Cursing to himself at her childishness and utter disregard for her own safety, he sniped, "Someone has to worry. We can't all be enablers."

He heard her suck in a breath, hurt. "Fuck, I didn't mean that. Just. . .just put Hyuuga on. Is he there? Or Kiba?"

She sounded a little teary when she replied, quietly and a little lost. "I don't know. I, um, I don't see anyone at the moment."

Sasuke blew out a frustrated sigh. "Stay where you are. They'll find you."

"Sasuke?" Her voice was almost a whisper.

"Yeah?"

Sakura hesitated for a moment, then asked, "So will you? Come to a show, I mean."

"I don't-" Sasuke stared hard at the ceiling of the tour bus before forcing himself to finish the thought. "I don't think that's a good idea, Sakura." When she was quiet, he felt sick. The liquor he'd been drinking felt sour in his stomach.

They sat in silence afterward and Sasuke was sure she would hang up. When all that filtered over the line was static-y background noise and her hitched breathing, he felt a pinch in his ribs. "Hey."

"Hmm?"

"If," he began, hating himself already, "If I can make the next show I'll call."

They both knew it was a lie, but one of them refused to acknowledge it.

He swore he could _hear_ the heart-breaker smile burst on her lips. "Really?"

Sasuke sighed and choked, "Yeah. I'll try." He knew she would forget the conversation in the morning, but he was disgusted with himself nonetheless. It was manipulative. Cruel. Getting her hopes up for something they both knew wouldn't happen.

He glanced out the dark window and watched another state line fly past. "Promise me something?"

She was the one to sigh this time. "Depends," she teased, "on what you want."

"Slow down. The partying, the drinking. . .all of it."

"Oh, you're one to _talk_." Popping the last word across her tongue, mocking. "I know you don't call me sober, Sasuke. You fucking hypocrite."

Sasuke just closed his eyes again, knowing it was true. They were awful for one and other. Like lighter fluid and an open flame.

"Sakura, I-" He was interrupted by a rude noise before he could say something regrettable.

"Ernt!" She grunted, in a sound like a gameshow buzzer. "Wrong person, asshole. This is Ino, and I don't take your bullshit."

Sasuke sat up again, somehow more tense than before. "You obviously take Sakura's. Care to explain why she's totally fucked up right now? And _alone_? Where the hell is her security?"

A mean laugh met his ears and Ino railed, "Oh, that's not the alcohol. You're what fucked her up. You know that, Sasuke. And her security walked out on her. Forget already?"

Another rude sound and she picked up momentum. "Or do you shit out on everyone? Just quit, abandon 'em? Fuckin' leave 'em? Or do you jus' do it to the ones ya really like? Did she get a little too close for your comfort? That what happened? Huh?"

Sasuke was stone silent. Ino just scoffed, "Yeah. I guessed. So fuck you. You do you, I'll take care of her. Don't call anymore, you fucknut. _God_."

A sharp click and the line was dead. Sasuke tossed the phone away, resting his face in his hands, angry at himself and everyone else. Seemingly in response to his turmoil, Naurto's iPod shuffled to a new track and Sakura's voice floated from the bus' surround sound.

Sasuke didn't know if he wanted to laugh or curse. It was always like that between he and Sakura, though, he knew. She made him a mess and a better man all at once.

In an exercise that was more for his own sanity than it was realistic, he imagined her lying down to sleep. Safe and healthy and peaceful. Her pink hair was fanned out and her freshly scrubbed face was pink and natural and young. She was just a girl in the vision, not an international celebrity. the one he knew. A little woman-child who danced around in the test fire of her shows' confetti drops and warbled bits of song like a bird. Caught up in the thought, Sasuke mumbled, "Goodnight, pretty girl."

* * *

**I was listening to a lot of music when I decided Sakura needed to be a drunken celebrity and Sasuke needed to be her emotionally constipated body guard. So this happened. There will be continuations of this !verse. I should be working on CT, and I was till this idea struck. Then I used my upcoming birthday as an excuse to choose what I wanna do rather than work on CT strictly. Happy birthday, me! Have a choppy drabble! Yay! Lol. **

**Musical Inspiration: **

**Cheers (I'll Drink to That) by Rihanna**

**You and I by Lady Gaga**

**Otis by Jay Z ft. Kanye West**

**Dark Fantasy by Kanye West**

**Glitter Freeze by The Gorillaz (The inspiration for the name of this drabble)**


	23. All of the Lights

**All of the Lights**

It was almost blinding. The irregular spin of multicolor lights and strobes flickered across Sasuke's face as he watched the figure onstage. Already the crowd was chanting her name, their voices a wave of physical sound. And she loved it.

He could see the perfect white of her smile, snowy against the explosion of color that was her set. She was a _born_ performer, Sasuke knew.

The gaudy sparkle of her studded mic caught his attention and he felt his heart lurch in anticipation as she sighed her first note. A roar of approval from the stadium washed out her voice for a second, then she was in full swing. On fire.

Her hand went high above her head as she dove into the hook of her newest party anthem. The hover cams whizzing around the arena were projecting a tight close-up of her smiling. When she caught a glance of the shot, she winked cheekily.

Ruffling her hair, she softened her knees and began to dance. Sasuke watched, oblivious to the crush of the crowd behind the barrier at his back. Sakura let her eyes slip closed, never missing a note. The enormous screens overhead caught the diamond-dust glimmer of her heavily made-up eyes and the glimmer of her lipstain.

Her voice rolled out, amplified until it thrummed in Sasuke's veins. The words of this particular song were a little brainless, something she had probably jotted on a napkin over a lunch. But he knew she loved to dance, and the beat was perfect for that. Her slim body rocked steadily, rhythmic as she belted the chorus.

Sakura's signature pink mane bounced along behind as she lapped the expansive stage. Her dress' flirty hem flounced too, lurid colors flashing against her lightly tanned legs. Sasuke wondered if she had been vacationing in the sun before the tour kicked off. Who had gone along? She loved toting friends all over the map.

Suddenly the lights drew down, throwing the stage into monochrome as the strobes took over. Sakura looked like a stop-motion film as she hopped up and down, psyching up the crowd in the flashing light.

Sasuke jerked, pulled from his thoughts by his partner's voice. Suigetsu's barking tone blared into his ear from a concealed wire. "Oi, boss! Big man's coming up now! You got a visual?"

Grunting an affirmative, Sasuke turned to keep a line of sight on the real reason for his presence at the concert. A new song started, a rock band rising from a hidden platform at the back of the stage. The guitar whined and a loud, unmistakable voice blared, "Hey, Sakura? You ready?"

Her laugh trilled and she turned to hail the smoke-clouded figure high at the back of the auditorium. Shading her eyes with gaudily jeweled sunglasses, handed off from a back up dancer, Sakura replied, "Oh, I'm ready!"

Crossing her arms in a cutesy imitation of acting tough, the pop queen turned to the crowd, "I _know_ you don't know this one! Do you wanna hear a _world exclusive_?" Sakura turned her mic to the fans, cupping one hand around her ear.

They went wild, mixed screams for both of the celebrities carrying up onto the stage until the noise was a physical throbbing.

"Alright, let's go!"

The main stage went dark, aside from roaming beams of white and black light that combed the audience. In the temporary pause, Sasuke knew Sakura was making a speedy wardrobe change. He also was being paid to keep an eye on Naruto as he skipped down the main aisle, lit by an enormous spot light. But it was difficult.

Old habits died hard, he reasoned. He was used to watching over the popstar, rather than his new ward. That was all. The instant knots in his shoulders every time a fan tossed flowers and gifts onstage were just a routine response that hadn't run itself out quite yet.

Either way, Sasuke was gritting his teeth the entire breadth of time it took Naruto to reach center stage and cue the lights back up. When Sakura was back in his line of sight, Sasuke released a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

Sakura raised her mic and crooned the chorus. Her other hand propped out in front of her, holding steady as she rocked her hips. She had shed her feminine dress, slipping into high-waisted short shorts and a sequined bikini top. The long fall of her hair was caught back from her face by a knotted, brightly patterned scarf and her eyes were still hidden behind her shades. Couture kitsch, she used to say-drawn like a magpie to the gaudiest baubles she could find.

Sasuke just thought she looked like summer personified.

Naruto was crouched at the edge of the stage's catwalk, reaching out to touch the hands of his fans. His blond hair was in artful disarray and his features crumpled in a permanent grin. The mixture of their voices was amazing. Sakura's deeper tone and Naruto's raw emotion made for something unusual. The single was going to conquer the charts.

As Naruto's gravelled voice reached the chorus, Sasuke noticed a familiar silhouette waiting in the wings. Sakura glanced the same direction, cued by a voice in her ear piece perhaps. A new, wide smile spread across her face as a third voice erupted into song. Sasuke felt a sense of dread settle on his shoulders. Eyes searching for the surest sign that his suspicion was true, Sasuke cursed when he noticed a puff of smoke in the darkness behind the figure. Shikamaru was here, chain-smoking as usual. That could only mean. . .

Strutting confidently, signature high-note still holding steady, Ino Yamanaka arrived onstage. One hand purposely placed to make her already tiny waist seem even slimmer and perched confidently on impossibly high heels, the heiress was every bit the powerhouse Sasuke remembered.

When her pale eyes swept the front row, he sighed. She wasn't looking into the crowd. Ino was scouring the space between the lip of the stage and where the audience began. She expected him to be there. The roars of the crowd began to at last creep in on Sasuke, pounding in his temples and sewing what would become an epic headache.

Her blue eyes scanned one more time, catching sight of his dark-clothed and unassuming presence at last. The cat-eyed slant of them, already extenuated by black liner, turned almost predatory as they narrowed angrily toward him.

Her portion of Sakura and Naruto's duet was a simple assist vocal, but the tune had changed again. This one was a crowd favorite from the previous summer. One Sakura and Ino had written together about a woman scorned. Ino's expression was almost gleeful as she belted a snarling, angry strand of epithets to the catchy beat pulsing from the amplifiers.

Sakura slinked over to her best friend, moving along to the upbeat synth sound of their song. Ino turned to face her at last, leaving Sasuke to watch Naruto grab a second mic from a stage hand. Pocketing the regular one, the blond took a deep breath and jumped into a goofy rap. The new equipment altered his voice to something comical and in-keeping with the song's silly, retro sound. His tight jeans and obnoxious orange belt only added to the moment, Sasuke snorted to himself.

Watching his new assignment as he was, Sasuke missed the silent exchange between friends that must have occurred. But when he looked again to Sakura, her apple green gaze barreled right back at him. The weight of her attention was almost a physical touch. Before Sasuke could think much more on it, though, she had turned away to play to her fans once more.

The rest of the show passed in a blur and Sasuke could feel his apprehension build. He would have to meet Naruto backstage and escort him to whatever after party or hotel or liaison he had decided on for the night.

Sakura might also be there. Waiting. Or maybe they would just see each other coincidentally. Or passingly. Fuck, Sasuke didn't know. He just had a thousand and one possibilities rolling around, loose in his head.

Eventually his stalling became obvious. Suigetsu's salty personality cut him no slack. "Hey, boss? You gonna be helping the cleanup crew or some shit? Cause if you could put down your broom or whatever-the-fuck, I'm swamped back here."

Pressing at the wire curled around the shell of his ear, Sasuke barked back, "Coming." But almost as soon as he mounted the stage and moved to the wings, headed for the dressing rooms, Suigetsu's voice crackled again.

"Big man wants ta talk to you, I'm gonna let him have the mic." Sasuke opened his mouth to tell Suigetsu to make an excuse, but it was too late. Naruto's overly loud voice poured into Sasuke's ear, making him freeze in place to dig at the device before he was deafened.

"SASUKE? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YOU THERE, BRO?" Thankfully, his partner must have cut in to let the rockstar know just how sensitive the sound equipment was because Naruto had quieted down when he spoke again, cutting straight to the purpose of his impromptu contact. "Hey, I just ran into Hyuuga back here. I've been meaning to catch him, so we're gonna head back to the bus together. You stay and enjoy."

Sasuke felt a black scowl spread over his face. "That's not necessary-"

"I mean it. Stay. I, uh, I'm giving a thumbs-up but you can't, you know. . .see it. But good luck!"

Naruto had handed off the headset again before Sasuke could salvage the situation. There was just static as Suigetsu rearranged it, entirely too smug when he cut back in, "Have fun, loverboy. I'mma tag after and make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble."

"Fine."

"Ooh, touchy!"

"Suigetsu-"

"I hear ya, I hear ya. I'm off."

Left standing awkwardly in the wings, Sauske felt his annoyance rise. What was he meant to do? Obviously Naruto intended for him to talk to Sakura. But the question was rather she was wise to the plan, or if Naruto had taken the entire thing upon himself.

His question was answered almost as quickly as he thought it. The heavy clack of heels against the stage flooring was his only warning before a sweet-smelling body launched itself into his arms. Then Sakura's face was still pressed hard into his chest, her patterned hairband bright against her rosette hair.

Her beaded top was digging into his skin, but he couldn't find it in himself to pull away. Rather he let her be. She was still warm from the stagelights, Sasuke realized. Someone in her vast entourage had made an "artisitic decision" to oil her exposed skin as well.

The proximity was making memories swirl back into focus. Little details about her were rushing back.

Sasuke released a slow, measured breath. The scent of Sakura's newest signature fragrance wafted up to him in waves as she simply stood in contact with him. It was an almost unbelievable mix of everything _Sakura_: warmth, spices and a heady floral note.

A trigger flipped somewhere in his brain at the scent. Bits of the past flashed back into vivid color, oddly distorted by time. Sasuke saw the drunken glow of a high-class hotel suite, a full-throated giggle and an enormous bouquet of poppies. . .Sakura's skin and-

"I've missed you."

Screwing his eyes shut against the vulnerable note in her voice, Sasuke mumbled something in reply.

Her big green eyes were staring up at him as she tried to lighten his tense expression. "So you finally made it to a show, huh?" Rubbing at her bare arms, Sakura trailed off, "It's been an age since you've seen me live."

"Yeah." Sasuke frowned at the simple response. Something was making his tongue heavy and clumsy, pinching at his lungs when he tried to draw a breath to speak.

Sakura could sense his discomfort and rocked back on her stilettos, tucking her hands into her back pockets nervously. "So. . .um, what did you think of the new set?"

Swallowing hard at the first impulse to say nothing at all, Sasuke forced himself to speak. "It was good." When her expression began to falter at his lackluster tone, he added, "The new single will do well."

A little smile crooked her lips as she nodded. "Naruto's brilliant at writing hits." Shrugging one shoulder, Sakura glanced in the direction of his dressing room. "I'm sure we'll work together again after this. Maybe on the new album I'm doing after the tour wraps."

Sasuke tried to squash the surprise and annoyance that welled at the idea. He had been unaware that she was working on new material and that was still something he was getting used to. Not so long ago, her entire world had been run by him first. But now, the possibility that they would be in the same studio or arena was cause for anxiety.

Even as he nodded politely, his fist was clenched at his side. It was a conscious battle not to tug the ugly bow from her hair or to tell her to take the ridiculous shoes she was wearing off-he knew how they tortured her feet. But the familiarity their time together had bred was unprofessional. . .and it had culminated in something forbidden.

Sakura seemed to notice a shift in the air between them and stepped close again. One of her bright-tipped hands fluttered up to his face. Sasuke was perfectly still. She ran her thumb then forefinger over his cheekbone, not quite caressingly-too firmly to be affectionate but not quite brisk enough to be strictly impersonal.

Pulling her hand back, Sakura flashed him a glimpse of her fingers before scrubbing them against her jean shorts. "Glitter," she said a little apologetically and a little teasing. "Probably from the cannons at the start of the show. . ."

Frowning at her thought and the conclusion it brought about, Sakura tilted toward him and asked, "Why were you in the security pit during the opening?" When Sasuke's expression closed and he refused to answer, she clicked one sharp heel against the floor in annoyance. "Sasuke," she began in a low, terse voice, "Naruto's feature wasn't until the back half of the show. You could have come in at intermission-easily!"

When a fragile hope began to light her features, Sasuke calmly smothered it. "Sakura, it's just glitter." Focusing on a point somewhere above her head, he quietly explained, "It could be from anywhere, or any_one_."

Sakura reeled back, as if the words had physically struck her. Crossing her arms tightly across her chest, sequins digging into her skin and reddening it in a splotchy blush. "Right. You're right, of course." Her lips thinned and whitened with tension. "I-"

"S'krah!" A heavy arm constricted the starlet's middle and pulled her back, unbalancing her.

Sasuke moved before he thought. The frustration bubbling under his skin spilt over, boiling into a furious set of commands. "Hey! Hands off, fucker." Grabbing the man away from Sakura by his hair, Sasuke shoved the smaller male roughly to the ground.

"-tha fuck? I was jus, jus comin to see my muse!" Staggering to his feet, the drunk bellowed obnoxiously, "Do you know who I am?"

Sakura was shouting something from behind him, still tottering unsteadily on her heels. She had been pressed behind Sasuke as he immediately moved to protect her-and she knew better than to move until he gave her permission.

Sasuke remembered precisely who the little lush in front of him was, of course. A designer of some sort. One of the hundreds of hangers-on Sakura had accumulated. "No and I don't care. ID and backstage permission pass. NOW!"

When the man continued to sputter, unable to form a coherent thought, Sasuke advanced on him. Towering over the drunk, Sasuke's hand trailed toward his concealed weapon. "I said NOW! Until you show me what I ask for, you're a threat. Do you know what I do to threats, asshole?"

When he actually drew his gun, raising it but not yet pointing it at the intruder, Sakura began to scream in earnest. Her hands found his shoulders but all Sasuke could see was red. Tunnel-vision zeroed in on the rapidly cursing and apologizing man who had made the mistake of manhandling Sakura.

"Uchiha." A cool voice sliced in, "I can handle it from here."

Slowly, a sense of reason filtered back into his head. Sasuke felt his shoulders hunch in yet more tension as the reality of what he had done began to sink in. Shoving the pistol back into its holster, he backed off.

With one last glance at Sakura, Sasuke strode away.

Word travelled fast in their world of celebrities and gossip. The backstage fiasco was prime material. It probably was leaked to his client before Sasuke even made it to the hotel where they were based for the night.

The aftermath was almost instantaneous. He wasn't surprised at all when Naruto's manager suggested strongly that he take some paid leave. Maybe for the rest of the month. His career was fairly well fucked.

But three burbons and two vodka sours later and he still couldn't banish the sight of Sakura's wide-eyed, pale face. She had looked honestly afraid of his unstable behavior. If Hyuuga hadn't shown up, would he have done something stupid? It was impossible to know.

Standing and stumbling as the room tilted, Sasuke made his decision. With a surprisingly steady hand, he scrawled his signature on a stack of forms for Naruto's manager, Kakashi. A few emails later and he had done it. Resigned. Permanently.

Collapsing back into the stiffly starched armchair of his hotel suite's sitting room, Sasuke poured another glass and wondered where he had fucked his life up quite so irreversibly.

* * *

**Experimenting with a new style, making some of Sasuke's thoughts and transitions choppy to add an overall tone and foreshadow Sasuke's meltdown. . .not sure if I love the result but i DO love this !verse. Speaking of, I have at least two more of this !verse planned.**

**Previews are up on LJ, you can find the link on my bio page.**

**Thanks again for reading!**

**Music list, for those interested, as follows:**

**All of the Lights by Kanye West (title credit goes to this piece)**

**Marvin's Room by Drake**

**Flashing Lights by Kanye West**

**Dinosaur by Kesha **

**1+1 by Beyonce**


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